Spaded Tails and Feathered Wings
by Aaron Ledgers
Summary: Lyra is an antisocial albino girl with freaky yellow eyes, uncontrollable powers, and a warped sense of reality thanks to abuse. When the X-Men rescue her and accept her into the Academy, they soon realize that they've stumbled upon someone truly dangerous. However, people go crazy when the residential blue devil develops an odd attraction to the new, ever-silent beauty. (Kurt/OC)
1. Prologue: Demon in the Dark

**Prologue: Demon in the Dark**

_Mangled bodies littered the streets of Earth, and in places where life used to thrive there was nothing but the nauseating scent of rotting corpses; where glass cities once glittered proudly and blue oceans gleamed, only ruins, blood, and death remained on its barren lands; the rich brown soil that once produced fruit and flowers now produced maggots that were slowly infiltrating the corpse of Earth… through nostrils, ears, and eye sockets, they crawled into dead bodies and fed off of the sweet intestines and sickening rot. Fingers and other ligaments still attached to the victims were soon nibbled away, leaving nothing but bloody bones behind. _

_It was a sickening sight… but nobody could see it, for none had been spared._

_None, that is, except for one person._

_A young girl was still alive amidst the destruction of Earth, and silent tears of agony were spilling from her glowing blue eyes as she lay against the body of the boy she had loved. The world's sole survivor wailed hysterically as her glowing birthmarks began to dissolve from her pale skin, leaving behind a stinging trail as she cried against her lost lover's lifeless chest. It dissolved, first from the top of her head and fading away until it reached her toes. Although her clothes were shredded and her body was covered in gaping wounds, the pale survivor slowly stood up and tilted her head back to look up at the crimson sky. _

_Eyes full of tears, she clenched her fists and shrieked in sorrow: the only family she had ever known had died trying to protect her. _

_When the slight crunching of bone echoed behind her, she clutched her head with both hands in an effort to keep control of herself; the monster was waiting, but she was so enraged that she would destroy everything if she tried to fight. He didn't deserve her pity, for the heart that still beat within her breast cried out for every single one of the lost souls lying on the ground. Millions of lives lost... millions of futures quenched in an instantaneous flash of light and heat. Slowly turning around and facing her worst enemy, the small girl traversed the horrifying terrain until she found him. _

_There he was…_

_The man who had destroyed her home…_

_The man who had killed millions of people…_

_The man who had murdered the only boy who had ever loved her… _

_"Lucifer," she hissed, pale golden eyes narrowing with hate. _

_"Hello, my Dear Princess," the fallen Angel purred, oily voice worming through the fetid air. _

_"I'm not your princess!" she snapped, shoulders trembling with rage as her hands began to spark. "I'm not your anything, aside from 'enemy'."_

_"Such a pity… I can obviously see that you're angry with your birthday present," the man commented, smirking with triumphant as he glanced at the corpses surrounding them. "I was hoping this surprise would please my adorable girl."_

_"I'm not your property, you psychotic murderer!" she spat, trembling as her eyes shone with tears._

_"You seem to be confused, darling: this was all your doing…" Lucifer whispered into her ear, vanishing from his spot and reappearing behind her. "Your… how should I put it? The dirty little secret, maybe? Yes, the dirty little secret about our heritage was the real culprit. I didn't have to lift a finger, Lyra: you simply broke the rules that Father set for you… again."_

_"Liar!" the girl cried, whirling around and throwing a weak punch at him. _

_In a flash, he dodged the feeble attack and slid behind her like a shadow; before she could react or blink, the fallen angel had a fistful of her long silver hair and was pinning her against the blood-encrusted wall of a devastated apartment building. A piece of glass slowly cut into her cheek._

_"Poor little girl, you obviously don't believe me," he purred into her ear; the small girl shivered as his hot breath tickled her neck, but the moment she tried struggling he jerked her around and held her head straight—forcing her stare at the death of her world. "Look at it, Lyra: this is what you did to them. All of this murder… all of this destruction… all of this blood resting in front of you was completely your fault. You destroyed the world, Lyralianna Evangeline… you destroyed everything you cared about. It was you alone. Not me... not your uncontrollable powers... it was you."_

_"No…" she choked out, yellow eyes beginning to glow blue as panic constricted her throat. _

_"Yes," the once-proud angel hissed deliciously into her ear, clamping his hands down on her trembling shoulders as a wicked smile touched his lips. "Drink it in… this is the world you made, my child. You went against the number one rule and touched a Demon with the intention of loving him instead of executing him. You, my dear, have finally fallen from grace. Like filth... like this rotting flesh... like the trash you gave your heart to."_

_"No!" Lyra squeaked, high-pitched voice becoming strangled. "Kurt wasn't evil! He loved me! I made the right choice!"_

_"According to all of this, your choice was the wrong one," Lucifer snickered, pointing out the carnage around them. "You've killed everyone you've ever loved, Lyra, even the humans who sheltered you over the years against their will. And these people suffered right to the end because of you, just like your foster parents… but the delicious part is that it was all… your… fault. Not only did you destroy the world... you killed your own family. Am I right?"_

_"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lyra finally shrieked, eyes flying open wide as a blinding blue light blasted out of her body; she arched her back with the force of the high-pitched scream as the color of the world flashed into the negatives and a set of multicolored wings exploded from her back. Bright beams of blue light shot out of her eyes before shifting in hue to electric blue and vanishing. _

_However, her world went dark before she lost control of her powers. _

_Unconsciousness came for her on swift wings._

Lucifer placed his hands on the Last Angel's shoulders as the illusion of Earth's immanent destruction dissolved: he watched with amused crimson eyes as her shredded school uniform dissolved and her teddy bear nightgown once again returned to her frail, underfed body. Soon afterwards, the rest of the illusion faded and the edge of the New York City skyscraper once again rippled into view. He glanced down at the girl with a hungry expression when she went limp under his grasp, red eyes roaming over her slender body and lingering on her extremely pale skin. He held her up by the shoulders in a bone-crushing grip, watching in amusement as glistening strands of her waist-length silver hair twisted in the moonlight. The small girl's tresses shone brighter than the stars resting in the sky high above them.

Finally finished with his staring, Satan sneered and let go of the angel's shoulders: with absolutely no mind to hold herself up, the fragile girl tilted forward and limply toppled off the edge of the seventy story skyscraper. She hurtled toward the ground, plummeting to what _should_ have been her death… however, a bright glowing blue light engulfed her falling body and, after slowly being lowered to the busy city sidewalk below, the silver-haired girl lay unconscious. Several passerby who had witnessed the startling scene unfold began to panic and rushed to her aid, but many of the humans simply looked up at the skyscraper with huge, confused eyes.

All of which made The Devil sneer; the mortal fools were so concerned about her health that he found it ironic that she would bring an end to them someday.

"The time for Earth's destruction is coming, Lyralianna," Lucifer snickered in amusement, slowly turning around as a set of black wings exploded from his back in a shower of crimson sparkles. "Once that happens, freedom will be mine: the outcome of the Second Coming rests solely on your pathetic shoulders."


	2. Chapter 1: Freak

**Chapter One: Freak**

"Lyralianna! Get your ass out of that bed right now!" Molly Hayes shrieked, shrill voice echoing through the house.

Lyra's neon yellow eyes flew open wide and she bolted upright in alarm, startled by the sound of her foster mother's screechy voice ripping through her bedroom door. After furiously rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, the small teenager rolled out of bed and padded into the hallway to see what her reluctant parent wanted from her.

"I'm waiting for your command, your royal highness," the silver-haired girl mumbled, leaning over the hall banister and regarding the woman with sleepy yellow eyes. "Shall I serve the crumpets and pour the tea before I frolic off to school, or is there another pressing matter I must attend to?"

"Don't be sassy with me, little lady!" the woman snapped, folding her fleshy arms with a loathing scowl. "I want you out of this house in two minutes or you'll be late for school again! I won't have you getting another tardy slip, mark my words! I'm the one who gets in trouble for that stuff, you know!"

"Well, if you'd give me a chance to _use_ those two minutes, maybe I'd actually be on _time_ for once," Lyra quietly retorted, scowling right back at her infuriated foster parent when the woman pointedly narrowed her beady eyes. "With all the yelling you do, I barely have any time to get that itchy uniform on each morning without falling flat on my face, let alone focusing on keeping my... _problems_ under control."

"You mean they're acting up again?" the woman whispered, backing away until she was pressed against the wall.

"Well, when _aren't_ they? Use your brain for once, woman: Lord knows you _must_ have one somewhere in that empty cavern you call a head," Lyra snapped, stomping back into her room and slamming the door shut behind her. Once she managed to shake off her unexpected emotional fit, the tiny girl brushed her thigh-length white hair and pulled her bangs behind her head, expertly tying it in place with a large black ribbon. Once her hair was out of her eyes, the girl slipped on her school clothes and looked in the mirror. After making a few adjustments to her clothing, Lyra buttoned up her blazer and grabbed her bag before zipping down the stairs and zooming right past her angry-eyed foster mother. The woman already had a bottle of Bud Light in her hands, and it was only seven in the morning.

Christ...

After she was outside, she took a detour into the woods and grabbed her best friend before continuing her trek to school. This part of her day was the trickiest since she only had a few minutes to spare: she had to walk twelve miles just to go to school since Molly wouldn't let her get on a school bus—but to be frank, she was somewhat glad that it had turned out that way. Lyra let out a sigh when she hid her friend and arrived at her destination: she was now standing in front what she literally considered to be Hell on Earth, the prestigious Noble Academy. Just as she was thinking this, Karma bit at her heel like a snake and something smacked into her head.

Hard.

"Ouch!" Lyra squeaked, glancing down at the football that had just come in contact with her skull.

"Sorry, your head was in the way!" a deep voice laughed.

"Why do people have to be so mean?" Lyra angrily wondered, turning to glare at a couple of jocks who were chuckling in amusement.

However, the girl's irritated expression rapidly dissolved and fright swept across her countenance when a surge of electricity seared throughout her chest. Bracing herself and collapsing to her knees as her golden eyes rippled like water, the girl clamped both hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut as she fought to remain in control: unfortunately, she lost all margin of it and, without warning, her entire body sparked. Several strands of blue electricity connected with three nearby objects, and with a blinding flash of light and several deafening cracks, the small strands of plasma-like electricity winked out and instead, three bolts of lighting roared out of her body. One lightning bolt hit a tree standing nearby, another hit one of the teacher's cars, and the last hit the football. Lyra leapt back with a shriek when the football exploded, covering her head as it flew skyward in a pile of flaming leather; similarly, several students hit the ground or sprinted for cover with hysterical cries.

They all knew about her _problems._

"My football!" the boy roared, smirk shattering into a look of outrage. "Damn it, I just bought that yesterday!"

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Lyra stammered, looking mortified by what she'd done. "It was an accident! I really didn't mean to do that!"

"Pay for it then, you stupid _freak!"_ he snapped, turning away and walking off with his buddies.

"I'm not a freak," Lyra whispered, staring at the ground as the wind swept through her long silver hair.

However, this was the truth: she, Lyralianna Evangeline—the girl without a last name—was a freak among mankind because she had been born with unnatural powers. On top of that, she couldn't even _control_ them because she didn't know how to channel the powerful energy: every time her emotions acted up and she allowed herself to express how she was feeling, something was destroyed because of her innate connection with the elements of nature. Her powers were dangerous and uncontrollable, and she knew from firsthand experience that trying to harness them was extremely dangerous to attempt: she had tried to reign them in hundreds of times before, simply so she could pull off being a normal girl, but nothing good had ever come from suppressing them. In fact, most of the time her powers even blew up in her face.

It was almost like the abilities she possessed had a sentient mind and _didn't_ want to stay bottled up all the time.

When the second bell rang, Lyra wiped her yellow eyes free of the stinging tears that had been building up and walked inside the building, dejectedly making her way to the trigonometry classroom. As to be expected, all eyes fixed on her face the moment she stepped inside: Lyra shifted uncomfortably under the stares before continuing forward and making her way to her desk. She could hear the whispers and snickers as she sat down and scooted in, but she tried to pretend it didn't bother her.

There was a new student in class today.

Great.

"Yuri, there's the freak I told you about!" a girl suddenly whispered. "She's the weird one you have to stay away from, okay?"

"Yeah, she's weird and she's so stupid that she can't even _talk,"_ her friend added with a giggle. "Don't hang out with the supernatural retard, got it?"

"Well, personally, I think she'd look a little cuter if she didn't try to draw attention to herself," another girl noted, leaning forward and joining in on the conversation with a huge grin. "I mean, just look at her hair and her eyes! Who would dye their hair such an ugly color just to stand out like that? On top of that, she _had_ to have gotten _extensions_ for her hair to be so long... there's no way it's her natural length! Oh, and those yellow contacts of hers are so revolting it's pathetic! Seriously, the freak already stands out enough with her creepy reputation, so her fashion style goes way beyond overboard. Too bad she won't talk: we could give her a makeover, right?"

The four girls shared a look before they burst out laughing, the snarky giggles shredding Lyra's self-esteem.

"Nah," they all said at the same time, still giggling.

_I didn't dye my hair, this is my natural hair length, and I'm not wearing contacts,_ Lyra whispered silently, hands balling up into shaking fists. _I was born like this! It's not like I asked to have white hair and yellow eyes, so why can't you just leave me alone? I don't talk to you because this is how you treat me... every single day._

"Sorry I'm late everyone. I had trouble getting my car started this morning," Mr. Kenton sighed, yawning as he walked into the room and placed his teachers' book on the top of his desk. "We have a new student named Yurippidi Tachibana, so treat her politely and get to know her at your own pace. Anyway, as you all should know from yesterday's agenda, we're going to be pairing up into partners today to prepare for tomorrow's test. I want you to team up with the person sitting beside you and start with the flash cards that all of you should have made last night. Get started."

_Here we go again,_ Lyra murmured silently, watching as her teacher sat down and went to work at grading papers. Knowing what was coming, she turned her gaze on her partner and frowned when the girl instantly twitched and raised her hand.

"Mr. Kenton?" she asked, earning his attention.

"What is it, Angela?" he questioned, glancing down at his papers.

"Can I please use the restroom?" she asked sweetly.

"You should have used it before coming to class," he chided.

"But it's that time of month again, sir," she explained, face pulling into a false expression of innocence.

Lyra watched the man shift uncomfortably with solemn eyes; it was the one response that no male teacher could ever say no to, and her partners always used it. She sighed when the man coughed and held out a pass without further hesitation.

"Please, hurry up," he instructed, then turned his attention back to his grading.

"Good luck studying on the toilet," Lyra mewled inaudibly, dejectedly hanging her head when the girl got up and snatched the pass from him. She also took her purse, which was the only thing of hers in the room. Lyra sighed in dismay, knowing that she wasn't coming back anytime soon. Minutes later, the silver-haired teenager saw one of Angela's friends texting discretely underneath her desk: after reading the message, the girl stifled a laugh and turned to her friend with an amused expression.

"She's so not coming back to class," she laughed. "I swear, that was absolute pure genius,"

_Yeah, right, more like pure evil,_ Lyra muttered silently, letting her head thump down on the desk.

She'd already given up on working in this particular class since she had to do everything by herself. However, Not even five minutes passed before she felt something hit her on the back of the head. When Lyra looked down and found a crumpled piece of paper resting on her hand, she cocked her head to the side and picked it up, smoothing it out before peeking at the inside of it: the second she saw what was written, her heart lurched and she had to fight back tears. People were too goddamn mean.

_Hey, Freak, how's studying coming?_

Lyra tore the paper into pieces before stuffing the remnants inside her desk, and after that, she buried her head in her arms and waited until the time when her class would be over. Even then she still continued to get things thrown at her head, but she found a way to ignore the bullies by breathing deeply. Lyra managed to fall into a meditative state until the bell rang, but she snatched her stuff and zipped out of the room the moment she heard the buzz.

The sad part was that this was a normal day for her.

**TXXXXXT**

After two more classes had come and gone, Lyra hastily ate her lunch and darted out of the cafeteria. With one thought on her mind, the tiny teenager and sprinted to her fourth period classroom before it could start. However, when she zipped inside and found that she wasn't alone like she'd been expecting to be, Lyralianna went rigid and froze in alarm: three boys who all held particularly nasty grudges against her were standing in front of her desk. They sneered the moment they saw her lock up in fright.

"Hey, freak, what happened to your guitar? It's covered in milk!" Alan Hastings laughed, tossing an empty paper carton into the wastebasket as he and his friends surrounded her. "You didn't happen to spill anything on it when you were playing it this morning, did you? Because we heard you singing, and you sucked ass!"

Lyra froze in mortification at the thought of them being the ones who had heard her singing: she always sang how her heart was feeling as a balm to keep her powers in check, but she had never really thought about what would happen if anyone ever caught her at it. They could use her own heart against her. Lyra began trembling as she stared at her beloved instrument, but she felt no need to respond to their antagonism and firmly locked her jaw. They didn't deserve to hear her speak.

Nobody at this school did.

"There you go with the quiet act again," the second boy snapped, abruptly shoving her forward. "You could at least say something to him."

Lyra's eyes went wide in surprise when she flew forward, but she let out a squeak when the third boy stuck his sneaker out and tripped her: unable to keep herself from falling, she hit the ground hard and bashed her elbow on a desk. Her head flew up the instant after she landed, and she knew for a fact that there was a startled expression on her face the moment the boys began laughing at her uproariously. She rarely had any form of expression on her face, so for these guys, it was a rare treat to see her wear any type of expression whatsoever. Lyra stared at the ground and smoothed her expression out once again and put her mask back as they laughed.

She would deal with the pain in silence: she would never let tears spill down her face, ever again.

She had promised herself long ago.

"You know I heard about it, right?" Alan laughed, still mocking her; the small girl twitched, yellow eyes becoming huge when she realized what he was saying. "You didn't think you could really hide it from us, did you? It's kind of sad, really, that you thought you could keep it a secret by keeping your mouth shut around us."

"Yeah!" the third boy snickered condescendingly, kicking her ankle; she bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut as a flash of agony rocketed up her leg. "You were abandoned in a thicket by your own parents, weren't you freak? I saw you leaving that ugly, fat foster lady's house on Crickhollow Avenue! She's the only person in this entire town who takes in children, but I'm kind of shocked that she had to take you in. I mean, who would want _you?_ Your own parents ditched you... and honestly, I don't blame them: whenever I think about how ugly you are, I sometimes throw up in my mouth. Looking at you makes me sick to my fucking stomach. You're just so... _ugly."_

"With those creepy yellow eyes and all that nasty white hair," the second boy added with a thoughtful expression, "I'd have killed you instantly if you had been my daughter! I mean, you're so pale and small that you look half dead, and your face just... ugh. I almost feel sorry for your parents!"

_Oh..._ Lyra murmured silently, yellow eyes taking on an expression of melted butter due to her immense relief. _Thank God... they didn't find him._

Letting out a sigh of relief that they hadn't found her friend, the girl slowly began to crawl back to her feet. Before she even got halfway, however, Alan stuck the handle of an umbrella behind her ankle and yanked her leg back out from underneath her body. With a startled yip that she couldn't keep suppressed, Lyra crumpled to the ground a second time and grit her teeth when her ankle throbbed in pain. It felt as though she had just sprained it... but she was used to pain.

Shaking her head, she smoothed her expression out once again and retained her emotionless demeanor.

"You know, even the teachers are saying you're creepy!" Alan laughed, waggling the umbrella mockingly. "You're the freakiest person in the history of mankind."

When she still didn't respond, they began kicking her: Lyra's eyes went wide in pain and she instantly buried her face in her arms, tensing her muscles as the blows to her ribcage and legs began to pick up pace. The girl endured the pain for what seemed like hours despite the fact that she actually wanted to get up and run away crying: she wouldn't let them see her tears for anything. She had to be strong... she had to endure this torture like every other torture she had lived with in the past.

She had gone through far worse than this, so she could definitely handle a few bullies beating on her in silence.

However, as it turned out, she didn't need to: the door flew open without warning and a beautiful girl with sapphire blue eyes and long brown hair walked in.

"Alan, what are you doing in here?" she asked in confusion, blinking at the boys when they froze. "You told me that you were heading to your class to get some studying done since you have a test today, but this is my class... and on top of that, who are those guys? What are you all doing in here? Were you waiting for me?"

"Erika," Alan chuckled nervously, "yeah, these are my friends and we, uh... were..."

"Yes? I'm waiting for an explanation, you know," Erika asked, looking at all of them blankly for nearly a minute when he trailed off; then she saw the milk-covered guitar case and her eyes widened before they flashed to the trembling girl lying on the floor. The brunette instantly bristled in shock, blue eyes going wide with anger before she turned and thrust her head out the door. "Someone, help! Alice, hurry and go get a teacher! Someone who can handle a huge problem without going overboard!"

A startled, muffled voice wafted in from the hallway.

"PLEASE!" the brunette cried. "Three boys are beating up a _girl_ in here!"

"What the fuck, Erika?!" Alan hissed, kicking Lyra in the shoulder. "Why are you sticking up for this freak?!"

_"What_ did you just call her?!" the brunette shrieked, mouth dropping open in angered shock. "Get out of here! Now! TEACHER, HELP!"

"Shit, let's get out of here!" Alan spat, darting for the door and running through it with his friends.

"You're a coward, Alan! You should be ashamed of yourself!" the brunette shrieked, sticking her head out the door. "I thought you were different!"

_Ow... I'm going to have a few bruises tomorrow,_ Lyra muttered silently, slowly sitting up and rubbing her sides.

"Hey, are you okay?" Erika asked, darting over and trying to help her up; the pale girl smacked the hand she used to grip her arm before recoiling backwards and shakily climbing to her feet on her own. "Hey, why did you hit me? Are you all right? Did they hurt you anywhere?"

"Everyone's unhappy," Lyra muttered, gentle voice breaking the stillness of the room for the first time.

"Huh?" the blue-eyed brunette asked, staring at her in confusion. "Un… happy? What do you mean?"

"They probably just want to hurt someone who's more unhappy than they are, so I should just... let this go," Lyra mumbled to herself, emotionless expression twisting up as the urge to cry finally spilled over into her features. To keep herself from bursting into tears in front of a complete stranger, Lyralianna snatched her bag and bolted out of the room—thigh-length silver hair flying behind her like a cloud of platinum.

"Hey, hold on!" Erika cried, following her out of the room and chasing her down; she finally managed to grab Lyra's arm, and with a firm yank she held her back. The albino merely stood in place and refused to look at her. "Come on, don't treat me like this... I'm sorry that my boyfriend is such an ass-wipe. Let me make it up to you! I'll clean up your guitar case if you promise not to hold it against him... he probably didn't mean what he was doing."

"If you leave me alone, you can clean it up," Lyra muttered. "I just want to be alone."

Several minutes later, the pale girl was involuntarily sitting in the girls' bathroom while her brown-haired acquaintance cleaned her guitar with a rag.

"I think the stain is coming out," Erika stated, eying the old black leather before she continued to scrub. "He must have put some sort of dye in it. I've never heard of milk that left a green stain before."

"Thank you for helping me," Lyra stated softly, keeping her face expressionless, "but you can go finish lunch, now. I'll be fine, and I can clean it up from here."

"Sheesh, you can stop with the emotionless act anytime now! We're alone in here, and I already know it's fake!" the brunette sighed, whipping around and shoving the guitar case into her small white hands. "I've been watching you ever since you transferred here, Lyra! People are mean to you even though they don't know you: they make fun of you because of everything we were told when you arrived. Yet, you never stand up for yourself! You never speak what's on your mind! Instead of doing any of that, you go to a new classroom after school each day, and do nothing but cry for an hour!"

Lyra's head snapped up and she stared at Erika with wide eyes, not even realizing that her mask had slipped a little bit.

"Who told you that?" she whispered, huddling down and staring up at the glaring brunette. "Who told you?!"

"No one told me," Erika retorted irritably, face pulling into a deep frown. "I have after-school curricular activities, and on top of that... my brother is the janitor, so I have to help him clean up the school from time to time. On your second day here, I was cleaning up Miss Kensington's classroom when you caught my attention. Before then, I hadn't actually seen you in person, but I'd heard rumors from my friends that you were really scary-looking and that you didn't talk much at all. What I saw that day didn't match up to what I had heard... you were sitting on one of the desks strumming your guitar, your _hair_ looked almost like _starlight,_ and your _eyes..._ well, they were unlike anything I've ever seen before. Your eyes actually looked like they were on _fire_ because of the sunlight coming through the windows... it was really pretty to look at. Then you suddenly stopped playing your guitar and buried your face in your knees: it took me almost ten minutes of staring to realize that you were crying."

"Why?" Lyra demanded, yellow eyes sharpening into frigid gemstones. "Why did you sit there and watch me cry?"

"Because, whether _you_ realize it or not, I wanted to do something to make you _stop_ crying," Erika retorted kindly. "So, stop hiding yourself and just… _trust_ me!"

Lyra stared at Erika Sanders with a blank expression, but uncertainty _did_ flit across her pale face.

She did, in fact, have a very big problem at the moment… a puppy.

Lyra had found a six-week-old Siberian husky that had been starving to death when she'd come across it, and the pale girl had been feeding it most of her meals to keep it alive and healthy… but at the same time, she was taking a huge risk: Molly Hayes would toss her dog back out on the streets if she found him, and there was no possible way to keep him healthy at the rate she was going, so she needed help. The girl had come to love the animal fiercely, and she knew she could never let anything happen to him, but people were starting to notice that she was getting much thinner and actually starting to look ill because of how many meals she was skipping for his sake.

"If you ever want to talk, here's my phone number," Erika sighed, handing her a slip of paper. "I'll be willing to listen, and I promise I'll stick up for you at school, okay?"

The fifteen-year-old albino girl stood there for a long moment, opening and closing her mouth as she stared at the brunette with a strained expression… but then she nodded with a slow blink and left the room with her guitar. She wouldn't give into the urge to break down just yet: she would wait.

**TXXXXXT**

Half an hour later, Lyra was back at her current residence. She wouldn't ever allow herself to call it 'home' because she wouldn't be staying there long enough for it to actually feel that way. She'd never had a stable living environment: the longest she'd ever lived with someone was a meager total of seven months.

"Molly? I'm back," Lyra whispered softly, tiptoeing through the dark hallway: the place smelled sickeningly of beer and stale cigar smoke, which most likely meant that the woman was drunk and in her abusive mode again. Just as Lyra was taking a cautious step forward, she accidentally stepped on a few shard of broken glass and the soft crunching sound caused an avalanche of screeches to resound through the entire house. Lyra immediately winced and wondered how the woman had heard it.

"Who the fuck is crashing around up here?" Molly shrieked, making Lyra flinch and shiver for a few moments.

"It's just me," Lyra called back, voice trembling so badly that it made her feel sick with herself; it was cold inside the house, as if the sunny warmth of the afternoon had refused to enter the darkened area. Molly's silhouette suddenly filled the doorway, blocking out the hallway light so suddenly that Lyra actually let out a squeak of surprise: the girl could see the woman's wide, bloodshot eyes even in this kind of darkness: they were two glittering green orbs full of malice and disgust. Lyra froze and struggled to escape from the hatred in her foster mother's eyes, but it felt like she was drowning in darkness... a darkness where she was being pulled under the surface.

She could feel the hatred emanating from the woman's soul.

Lyralianna swallowed and returned her attention to the living hell in front of her, staring into its jade green eyes as fear involuntarily moved up her throat: she could never summon the courage she needed to face her foster parents. Part of the reason was the fact that none of them had ever wanted her in the first place: the government had literally forced her upon so many people over the years that the girl had lost count. The families never tried to be nice; they never acted as though they cared; they always made it clear that she wasn't wanted and gave her the cold shoulder. Others merely took the opportunity as a way to vent their own frustrations and abused her.

When Molly took a step forward, Lyra took a step back: this woman was no different. She definitely wasn't the worst of the families, but still...

"I should have known," Molly sneered, soft lips curling in disgust as her pretty face became ugly. "Everything in my life came crumbling down when you came into this household with your nasty white hair and ugly yellow eyes. Those _disgustingly innocent_ eyes that look out of your mother's ugly face... I grew up with your mother, you know: she lived about two miles away from here, and I actively hated her. She was better at everything than I was in school, she had those same disgusting superpowers that you do, and she actually married a gorgeous man with powers similar to hers. A family of _freaks... _and I feel like I should be thanking you, _Lyra."_

_Don't say it,_ Lyra pleaded silently, balling her hands into fists as she fought back the pain. _Please, Molly... don't say it again._

"After all, _you_ were the one who _killed_ them," the woman chuckled nastily, making the albino girl flinch. "It's ironic, really: their own daughter killed them."

Lyra remained silent, hoping if she didn't speak then Molly wouldn't use her as a punching bag. The redheaded woman had repeated this speech so many times before that the poor girl actually knew it by heart, and sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night with the twisted words hovering on the tip of her tongue. She was completely alone in the world now... because, whether it had been an accident or not, Lyralianna Evangeline had killed her own parents.

More accurately, her powers had killed them... which is why she hated being a freak.

"You're the bane of my existence," Molly ranted, slurring a little as she folded her arms and glared. "You look more and more like that filthy albino slut every single day… except for your nasty yellow eyes. They look more like the eyes of a filthy _demon_ than a human being. No, those are your fathers eyes... nasty man-whore."

_It's not your fault… it's not your fault that your eyes look like this,_ Lyra silently chanted, squeezing her eyes shut. _It's not your fault that your eyes are yellow… it's not your fault that your dad's rare eye condition made your eyes reflect every light like a mirror. It's not your fault... it's not... your fault...  
_

Molly's hands were suddenly on her shoulders, forcing her against the wall; the woman shoved her face right in front hers.

"Are you listening to me, bitch?" she growled, making Lyra turn her head to the side. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"Stop it, Molly," Lyra whispered, not opening her eyes: she knew what would happen if she did.

"I'll stop when I _want_ to!" the woman snarled, smacking her forehead with the beer bottle in her hands. "Look at me right now, bitch!"

"I don't want to," Lyra weakly protested, voice coming out in a pleading whine.

_"Look_ at me!" the woman roared, making her flinch. "Open your eyes and _look_ at me when I'm talking to you, Aurora!"

Aurora was her mother's name.

Lyra was so startled by what Molly had just called her that she opened her eyes with a stunned look on her face. Until that moment, she had never believed that Molly had actually known her parents in person... there had been no possible way for it to have been the truth, but nobody aside from the coroner had known her parents' true names. She hadn't told anyone her parents' names, not even the judge: there had been no records or files on who her parents really were... not in America, or _even_ in any of the world's foreign countries. According to every government, there was no record of her parents anywhere in the world... so according to the law, they didn't exist.

It was also the reason why Lyra was being thrust around into several homes: in the beginning, right after her parents had died, she had been tested on by doctors.

The moment people had discovered that she possessed supernatural powers, her life had become living hell.

The second molly saw the unique color of her irises, her expression turned murderous and she slapped the girl as hard as she could: Lyra instantly snapped her eyes shut again, but it was too late. She'd seen them.

"Don't look at me with those disgusting eyes!" Molly screeched, using her beer bottle to beat the girl senseless. "Those aren't your mother's eyes! Those aren't the eyes of the woman I grew up with! Those are the eyes of a nasty demon! Those are your _father's_ eyes! I hope that bastard is burning in hell with your slutty mother!"

Lyra recoiled away from the woman's hand and squeezed her eyes even tighter: she wished the woman would simply leave her alone, but her words about her eyes were true. They weren't the eyes of someone who was particularly normal: it was impossible for anyone to say that a regular human being could have such a strange and unique eye color without hesitating. Lyra grit her teeth and turned her face away, keeping her eyes shut tight so the woman wouldn't hit her again for having freaky irises.

A jarring impact on her cheek sent starbursts of pain rocketing into her skull, but then the woman shoved Lyra away and began muttering angry words under her breath. When the woman stormed into the living room, the small-boned albino girl let out a shuddering breath of relief and pressed a hand to her burning cheek, slowly forcing herself to walk up the stairs into her room. Judging by how the blow was both stinging and aching beneath the skin, she knew that it was most likely going to bruise by the next morning. After throwing her bag onto the floor, Lyralianna turned on her light and faced the mirror with uncertainty. Her cheek was still burning unpleasantly with the impact of her foster mother's heavy hand, but it wasn't as bad as the other times or even the other foster families.

She'd definitely had worse... in fact, she was inclined to say that this was the best foster home so far.

_I really do look like my mom,_ Lyra thought sadly, touching her extremely long silver hair as she looked in the mirror. The girl had the same shimmering white hair, the same pearly white skin, the same overly-plump lips, and the same fragile build as her mother… but unlike the woman who had given birth to her, Lyra's height didn't want to extend over five feet. On top of that, her mother's silver hair had been short and breezy: Lyra had never cut her own hair because she'd needed some way to cover up the bruises that were always appearing on her shoulders, back, and neck.

However, the biggest difference between the two of them was their eyes: her mother's eyes had been a clear, crystal blue, while Lyra's eyes were a smoldering pale gold that seemed to burn like hellfire whenever the light reflected off of them. Because of a rare eye condition that allowed her to see better in the dark than the daytime—a condition that her doctors referred to as 'star child eyes'—her irises had taken on a reflective yellow gloss and looked more like topaz gemstones than actual irises.

Her eyes were like the incarnation of fire; her mother's had been like living water.

Lyra closed her ugly eyes and prayed: she wanted things to go back to the way they used to be, before her mother and father had died… but time and fate were cruel realities, and she was all alone in a hostile world. She had given up hope on being loved by other people long ago... she had given up on a future where life could possibly seem happy... she had turned her back on the conniving faces of humanity, for they had done nothing but lie and hurt her.

She had promised herself not to trust anyone, ever again.

After all, who could ever love a freak?


	3. Chapter 2: Cycle of Destruction

**Chapter Two: Cycle of Destruction**

Three days later, Lyra decided to take up Erika on her offer... and she hesitantly sought her out to ask for some advice.

"Hey, Erika, I have a problem, so do you think you could listen for a minute?" Lyra asked in a neutral voice.

However, she seemed to shrink into her blazer and hid her lower face like a turtle, hiding herself until only her eyes and the top of her small nose were left showing above the cloth. Three long school days had passed since the girl had offered to help her, and she desperately wanted to talk to someone about a few of the struggles she was enduring, but even though she really did feel like Erika was trustworthy enough, Lyra was worried about being betrayed.

Trusting people had always been hard… especially since so many people had abused her.

She was breaking her own rule again.

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear that from _you,"_ the older girl choked, face brightening up in an instant. "What's up?"

"Well…" Lyra droned, skittishly shifting her weight before she glanced away with uneasy yellow eyes. "Okay, look... this is against the school's rules and I know I could get in huge trouble, but... uh, I have a puppy. He's been really sick ever since I found him, though, and I've been keeping him alive using most of my lunch at school... but now I'm scared that he's going to die. I mean, he's acting weird and I'm scared because I don't know what I'm doing."

"Wow, you're quite the daredevil!" Erika squealed excitedly, clapping her hands like a little girl. "Can I see him? I've always wanted to have a friend who owns a dog! Is he cute? Does he have fuzzy little ears and a pink nose, or does he have long droopy ears and a black nose? Oh, or does he—"

"I think it would be easier just to show you," Lyra finally sighed, looking away to hide the faint smile of relief that crossed her lips. "He's tied to the fence near the cherry tree that towers above the parking lot. Come on, I'll show you right now."

"Okay!" Erika laughed, setting her book down and following her with an excited expression.

Five minutes later, the two girls were outside in the courtyard and kneeling in front of a yipping little ball of absolutely _adorable_ fuzz.

"This is my Little Bandit," Lyra quietly introduced, rubbing the mewling and yapping husky behind the ears as he nuzzled her slender legs. "I call him that since he's been stealing all of my food. He's a bit of a sneak, too... he sometimes snatches my portion right out of my hands. I love him."

"He's… so… so…" Erika breathed, face blanking for a moment. "HE'S SO CUUUUUUUTE!"

"Shhh!" Lyra hissed, face going white. "Don't tell the whole school about him!"

"Oh, you're right! Something bad would happen if the school faculty ever found such a sweetie," Erika whispered, clamping both hands to her mouth; after a moment, though, she smiled reassuringly and murmured, "Don't worry, Lyra, you can trust me with your secret!"

"Thanks, Erika," the small girl replied, staring at her dog with soft eyes.

"I'm going to head inside and finish my book," the brunette sighed after a few more moments of petting, slowly getting to her feet. "I'll save some of my lunch for him tomorrow afternoon, so don't worry about starving yourself anymore. Also, watch to see if he eats any grass after the meal: if you feed him something that makes his tummy hurt, he'll attempt to eat it. That could be a clue on what not to give him."

"Thanks," Lyra stated, blinking as the girl left without another word.

A few hours later, school had long since ended... yet Lyra was sitting in her school desk and staring out the window.

Surprisingly enough, she was reading a cookbook and daydreaming about the day she'd be able to use it. She had always loved good food, and since she'd had so little of it growing up, she was determined to make herself lots of elegant dishes when she was old enough to support herself. Alternating between memorizing a new recipe and staring out the window with her chin planted on her palms, Lyra ventured into the danger zone and thought about Erika. After a while, she wondered whether the brunette would want to go swimming in the river with her sometime. The sunlight made her large yellow eyes sparkle as she watched birds flit around outside the window, but she actually felt compelled to smile when a warm breeze lifted her long hair off her shoulders.

At the moment, she was almost completely happy.

Unfortunately, life was cruel.

"Hey, freak!" a voice trilled in a singsong tone, startling her and killing off her good mood at the same time.

Lyra's thin eyebrows came together and an instinctive scowl flashed across her face when she recognized the person it belonged to, but she quickly wiped her emotions off her face and put her expressionless mask in place: Alan waltzed in a few seconds later, shoving his hands into his pockets with a pretty big grin on his handsome face. She didn't like that smile at all... he only smiled at her like that when he'd figured out a new way to torment her.

"What do you want?" Lyra inquired softly, gentle monotone never rising above a soft murmur.

"Did you really think you were smart enough to fool us?" Alan inquired, looking at the white-haired girl with an evil smirk on his face. "Did you think you could really outsmart someone like me? Well, you were wrong… _freak_."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Lyra demanded quietly, lifting her head off of her hands and staring at him in puzzlement. When he grinned and nodded out the door, the sound of wailing puppy froze her blood solid: the fifteen-year-old's pupils contracted into tiny pinpricks behind her glasses and she flew to her feet when the other two boys walked in. One of them was holding her Little Bandit and letting him dangle from a rope around his neck.

"You bastards!" Lyra shrieked in horror as her mask shattered into a million pieces. "Let go of him!"

And without another word, the small girl bolted forward to save her puppy.

As she was passing by the first boy, he hit her squarely in the jaw and knocked her off balance; dazed by the unexpected attack, she jerked in alarm when he clamped his thick arms under her own and pinned her small body against his chest. She writhed and squirmed as blood began to trickle from her lip, but she couldn't get away; eventually she went limp, able to do nothing but glare as they held her only friend in their clutches.

However, when they all began to laugh at her, the girl fought to get free yet again—this time with hysterical shrieks and curses.

"Stop struggling, freak," Alan chuckled mockingly. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Let me go!" Lyra squealed, kicking at the boy's legs and snapping at his arms with her teeth in an effort to get free. He only clasped his hands behind her head and shoved forward, causing her neck to pop since his arms were already looped under hers. She let out a cry as agonizing stars exploded behind her eyes; it took almost a full minute before her sense of feeling completely returned to her body, and even then there was an odd tingling sensation

"If you move, I'll do it again!" he taunted when she righted herself, gasping for air as pain shot through her body.

"Stop it!" Lyra whined, weakly tossing her head from side to side and flinging her hair around. "No more!"

"You know what? This is the first time I've ever seen you get upset, Lyra," Alan pondered, coming up to her and leaning down so they were face to face. "You don't laugh, you don't cry, and it's really creepy… you don't even look like you have the capacity to _feel_ anything at all. So, I want you to cry for me, little freak! I want you to cry and beg for me to let him go, otherwise I'll make your precious little puppy do all of that _for_ you. Does it sound like a good deal, huh?"

A surge of rage ripped through Lyra's chest upon seeing the nasty sneer on his face, and in a fit of fury she brought her knee straight into his gut with a snarl. When he doubled over with a curse, the boy restraining her cracked her head so hard that she blacked out; when she finally swam out of unconsciousness, it was only because Alan had doused her in cold water and slapped her awake. She instantly blinked in confusion, but she squealed when she was dragged to her feet by her hair.

"Stupid move, bitch!" he spat, then turned to his buddy and stated, "Kick the dog and make sure she sees it."

"Don't do it!" Lyra croaked out; command being utterly ignored, the boy holding Bandit threw his arm forward and sent his foot straight into the Husky's ribs. He let out a yelp as he smashed into the wall, but then he let out a keening whine and tumbled to the floor in an awkward position—where he continued yelping loudly in pain.

"Nice kick," Alan laughed, clapping in a mocking fashion. "You could make the football team."

"N-no… stop it..." Lyra whispered, breath catching in her throat as her eyes widened; she began to tremble as her chest throbbed, pulsing with a familiar agonizing feeling that told the girl that her heart was being ripped in half. Just like it had on the day that her birth parents had died because of her... just like it had when her first friend had been hit by a car saving her life... just like it had when her only loving foster family had been murdered by someone who wanted to use her powers.

"I think I felt something snap when I kicked him!" the boy sneered, thrusting his fist into the air.

"Stop it!" the small girl shrieked, thrashing around wildly and struggling with all of her strength. "Fine, I'll do what you want! Just stop it already! Don't hurt him!"

"This is getting more of a reaction than teasing her directly ever did!" Alan laughed, rolling his eyes; Lyra watched with dilated pupils as he walked over to the teacher's desk and picked up the vase resting on it, trembling as he slowly dumped out the flowers. Her stomach twisted when he walked over to where his friend was sitting.

"Keep holding it down," Alan commanded, shooting an evil look straight at Lyra.

"D-don't!" Lyra choked, watching with huge eyes as his arm slowly ascended; then it came down with crushing force and she twitched as a sickening thud and a puppy's shriek of pain filled the room. She watched helplessly as his arm ascended and descended with that same horrifying movement, throat locking up. The faces of her tormenters contorted into nasty grins as they bludgeoned her dog to death, and she was unable to do anything but watch them. She was totally helpless

"Hah, his tongue's sticking out," the smaller boy laughed. "Gross."

"This can't be happening," she whimpered, trembling all over and letting her head go limp as the agonized screeches of her dog filled the air. As the sound of the animal's torture continued, Lyra's face contorted and she knew she had to make her decision before it was too late. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the girl whipped her head up and shrieked, "Stop it, _please!_ I'll let you hit _me_ instead if you'll just stop hurting _him!_ Please, please... I'm begging you... stop it..."

"Excuse me? You'd really go that far for a flea-bitten mutt like this?" Alan snorted, holding back his hand for a moment and glancing at her surprise; her golden gaze never changed or wavered in the least, and that made his eyebrows rise. "Damn, she's dead serious! Leroy, take over beating the dog while I have some fun."

"Gotcha," the other boy snickered, taking the vase and watching as his buddy moved toward the girl.

"No! That wasn't the deal!" Lyra cried, shaking her head. "If you want to hurt me you have to stop hitting him!"

"I never agreed to anything," Alan pointed out, cracking his knuckles with a sadistic grin; Lyra braced herself when he drew back his fist, but she doubled over in pain when it connected with her stomach. She was jerked upright a second later and another fist connected with her cheek—sending her head snapping to the right. After that, she went into a sort of daze... she was only aware of the pressure connecting with her body, not the pain from the blows.

"I KNEW IT!" a garbled voice screamed, and everything halted as the door flew open; Lyra's looked up with hazed eyes when sprinted into the room and charged around the table before skidding to a halt with a horrified expression. "Oh, my God… what the hell did you _do_ to them? Stop it! You guys could go to jail for this! Let go of her right now before I get Professor Julie and the headmaster!"

"Why should we stop?" Salem snickered, looking amused when Lyra went limp. "You were the one who told us about the mutt! You were practically bragging about how much the monster bitch cared about it, so we thought we'd have fun!"

_"What?!"_ Lyra squeaked, head whipping up so she could stare at the brown-haired girl with huge golden eyes: the expression on her pale face said that she'd just been punched harder by the brunette than any of the boys. "Erika, you…?"

"You fucking _liar!_ You cornered me and threatened to _rape_ me if I didn't tell you what she was hiding! When I still said no, you threatened to hurt _her_ if I didn't!" the brunette cried, waving her arms around until she noticed the expression on Lyra's face; she instantly gasped, clamped her hands over her mouth, and backed away from the silver-haired girl. "I'm so sorry! Lyralianna, I _swear to God_ that I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"Eri..." Lyra tried to say, but the words failed her and she hung her head weakly: she had no energy to speak anymore, and her mouth felt as though it had been locked shut. She had been betrayed… she had been crushed by someone once again.

Her hopes had been destroyed.

"Aww," Leroy pouted, tossing the bloody vase to the side. "He stopped moving!"

"What do you mean?" Alan scoffed, taking a look around the table before he burst out laughing. "Holy shit! You fucking killed it! Nasty!"

"No way..." Erika whispered, eyes filling with tears before she thumped to her knees. "You... you _murdered_ him? He's... dead?"

Lyra twitched at the sound of the word _dead,_ but then she noticed that something moving under the table and glanced up at it through her disheveled bangs. However, when she saw a pool of blood slowly spreading out from beneath the wood, her eyes jolted open wide. Lyra made an incoherent attempt at saying something aloud, but nothing came out of her mouth: the sight of the blood had frozen her throat, and she could do nothing except feel sick with the pain spreading through her body. Still trapped in the arms of a boy who'd helped murder her only friend, the girl's unstable mentality finally snapped. And she felt something inside her soul… begin to change.

In that moment, there was no sound... aside from an unloved girl's heart shattering into pieces like shards of broken glass.

"Dead…?" Lyra whispered softly, trembling coming to an abnormal halt as her large pupils contracted into pinpricks: memories of all the people she'd lost resurfaced with crushing force, smothering her consciousness and dragging her back to the pits of hell she used to call a life. "No… no, no, no! _No!_ He _can't_ be dead! He's all I have left! Without him, I'm alone again! It's not true! Give him back to me! Let me go, and give him back! _Please!"_

"Aw, are you sad about your dead little puppy?" her restrainer sneered, cracking her head forward before mocking her with a sadistic smile and a sardonic baby voice. "We can't hear you _crying,_ monster girl! You have to cry louder so the rest of us humans can hear it! We want you to bawl like a pathetic little baby, so come on! You can do it, can't you freak?! We're waiting for you to start crying like a _human_, so _do_ it! Cry!"

"Stop it!" Erika shrieked, bolting forward and pushing Alan with a furious expression on her face. "I swear to God, make him stop or I'm calling the cops on you! I don't give a shit if you are my ex boyfriend, this is too fucking much... you're a murderer! You're a sick, evil, conniving little killer, Alan Hastings! Make him let her go, now!"

"Why should I?" Alan sneered, slapping Erika in the face and making her stumble back with a stunned look. "You're an idiot, Erika: do you see that _thing_ over there? Does it _look_ like a human to you? No, it doesn't, so how could you side with that freaky monster bitch instead of us? You're just as big of a freak as Lyralianna is, Eri."

"Stop it…" Lyra finally hissed, making everyone freeze and look at her in surprise. "Stop hurting me… stop tormenting me… stop betraying me."

"L… Lyra?" Erika whispered, staring at her in alarm when the girl's breathing began to grow erratic; however, when Lyralianna Evangeline slowly lifted her head, every single person in the room froze like a marble statue: the girl's pupils had become so small that they were virtually non-existent, glowing red marks had begun winding down the sides of her face, and her long white hair soon began to billow out around her body like a platinum cloud of silver fire. A flood of silent tears abruptly trickled down her cheeks like miniature waterfalls as she stared unseeingly at the wall, teeth clenched and mouth trembling: her eyes suddenly flashed and the fluorescent light bulbs overhead immediately exploded with a loud popping noise; the teenagers in the room ducked as the glass flew everywhere, covering their heads.

"What the hell _is_ she?!" Alan cried, backing away into the wall. "Salem, let her go! The freak's not normal!"

"Why did the lights blow up?" the boy restraining her shouted, not able to see what they were all staring at. "What's going on, Alan? I thought the plan was to keep her in place until she passed out!"

"You took him away from me!" Lyra hissed out, shaking as her vacant expression contorted with rage; muscles tensing up with the pain sweeping through her heart, the tiny girl tossed her head back and screeched, "STOP KILLING EVERYONE I LOVE! JUST GO AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

Erika squeaked in fright before she ducked behind the teacher's desk and covered her head.

With good cause, too: the second those words left Lyra's lips, the albino girl's yellow irises flared out with a bright blue light that obscured the entirety of her eyes, and her long white hair immediately rippled with a surge of violent electricity. Lyra took a deep breath and threw her head back, squeezing her glowing eyes shut tightly before letting out a shriek of rage: a violent surge of electricity with lightning-like proportions swept throughout her body.

With a deafening crack, Salem went flying through the window right behind them with a scream, blown clean off his feet from the force of the energy. If there hadn't been a window behind him, he would have been killed because of how hard he would have slammed into the wall. However, another ripping shriek tore from Lyra's lips and she clutched her head with both hands, not even noticing when the other two boys bolted from the classroom.

She knew she was losing control of herself, but she no longer cared.

None of that mattered anymore: all she could think about was Bandit and how much she had come to love him.

Electricity shot out of her body and tore chunks out of the brick walls as the two boys panicked and ran for the door; things began to explode when Lyra let out another wail and clutched her head in an effort to control her abilities. However, it was out of her hands now: the only thing she could still do was fall to her knees and scream hysterically as more tears began to fall. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep from shattering into a million pieces, since she really felt as though she would break away into nothingness if she let herself go. That's how badly the pain was cutting into her heart.

The pain that could only come from being completely alone in the world.

Lyra's breath was stolen when her long silver hair lifted towards the ceiling in a rush of gale-force wind, and she was blown to her knees when an ethereal set of angel wings exploded out of her back in a shower of crackling red sparks; soon afterwards, sizzling strands of electricity connected her body to walls around her, making her glowing eyes snap open wide. The girl immediately tensed and covered her ears, glowing eyes snapping shut.

Not even a second later, several lightning bolts cracked out of her body with a concussive force and blew out all of the windows in the room, ripping the brick walls to shreds with thunderous crashes and blinding flashes; the vortex surrounding her threw desks and other projectiles into the ceiling hard enough to latch them there; the very earth seemed to tremble with the force of her pain, intensifying into an earthquake that shook the earth all around her and rumbled into the distance.

The glowing red mark continued winding down, sliding over her throat and into her clothing.

_No more!_ Lyra wailed inside her mind, shrieking herself hoarse as her long hair whirled around her face: white fire ignited swirled around her torso like a burning cocoon, and the water in the air condensed around her arms—forming into solid pillars of liquid that froze into a pair of deadly-looking blades. When she looked up and saw Erika cowering in the corner with a terrified expression on her pretty face, Lyra huddled down and covered her eyes.

"NO MORE!" the angel finally shrieked. "I WISH IT WOULD ALL JUST GO AWAY!"

**TXXXXXT**

In upstate New York, two hundred miles away from the chaos that had just erupted, an elderly crippled man was sitting pensively behind his desk as he sorted through some files belonging to the students of his school. However, his midnight blue eyes smiled a bit when he read the report about a crass remark that one of his students had made to a teacher; after reading the truthful insight to the insult, he chuckled a bit and shook his head. That particular teacher could definitely be a 'dick' when it came to working at school, but he was also grouchier than usual due to the fact he was in mourning.

Quite suddenly, the cripple was very nearly thrown backward out of his wheelchair when an unexpected but deafening shriek ripped through his mind. His eyes snapped open wide when a torrent of emotional agony slammed into his chest.

He instantly covered his ears as the screams grew more intense.

His face contorted as the shrieking continued and he eventually fell out of his wheelchair, writhing in agony from the force of the energy coursing through his mind. The shrieks were full of such raw power that he truly believed that he'd never felt such a strong presence. Not even the Phoenix that been living inside of Jean Grey's soul could compare to this. After a moment, however, the man realized that the sound of the screams were all wrong for such a terrifying energy: the voice wasn't that of a grown woman who had a malicious intent, these were the screams of a young girl who was in copious amounts pain—which meant that her mind was unconsciously screaming for someone to help her.

That's when he noticed that her cries sounded absolutely terrified.

The instant he recognized the nature of the sound, a mental image of a trembling building caving in around him flashed behind his round blue eyes. Uncurling from the floor and forcing himself to endure the pain, he pulled himself back into his wheelchair and spun his way out of his office and down the hall to where his creation, Cerebro, was waiting. However, he was thrown through a horrifying loop of emotions the moment he put the helmet on: he was assaulted by sadness, fear, pain, anger, loneliness, emptiness, insecurity—so many negative feelings that were all devolving into a tremor of power.

His face drained of color when the flow of power actually _increased: _itmeant that the screams were coming from someone who wasn't human.

He was now sure of two things: the girl wasn't a mutant, and she couldn't control her abilities.

This was a problem.

_NO MORE! SOMEBODY MAKE IT ALL GO AWAY!_ the girl wailed, and the mental voice let him pinpoint her energy; the second he latched onto her mind, an acute image of her being appeared inside his conscious. Curious, he closed his eyes and stared at the child as her incredibly long silver hair whirled above her winged body. Even as he watched, her glowing eyes snapped shut and she clutched her head before letting out another shriek. Judging by the unnatural feeling her powers were giving off, he was finally able to confirm that the girl wasn't actually human or a mutant… but she _was_ in desperate need of help, and that's why he'd started his school in the first place: helping troubled teenagers accept their gifts was his job.

Even if those gifts didn't have to do with a mutation.

_Hank, Storm, Scott!_ he shouted with his mind, quickly wheeling out of the room and down the hall. _Something very, very important has just come to my attention and cannot be taken lightly. Meet me in the hanger and have the jet ready in five minutes, because we're leaving the moment I get there! We have to hurry, otherwise people are going to get killed._

**TXXXXXT**

Ten minutes later the police burst into the building.

The only things that Lyra could hear were the screams ripping from her own mouth and the wind that was roaring around her frail body. However, the officers didn't really know what to do about the problem at hand—and this assumption was made due to the fact that some of the adults simply stared at her with their mouths hanging open. A few of the older officers drew their pistols and pointed them at the girl—only resulting in making things worse for everyone: the instant Lyra glanced up and saw those lethal weapons, she shrieked even louder and huddled down as more explosions ripped through the school, shaking its walls as glass and debris flew everywhere.

Her powers were devolving into a full-scale meltdown.

"Halt! Or I'll shoot!" a blonde police woman shouted loudly over the roaring wind, lifting her gun and carefully aiming it at Lyra. "Please, kid, don't make me use this!"

"I-I can't stop it anymore! I could barely even hold it back to begin with!" Lyra wailed over the noise, clutching her head as the colossal power radiating from her body surged violently; pieces of the brick wall started cutting her pearly white skin as the vortex around her expanded. "Just shoot me already! I'm begging you to stop this! Please! It's hurting me, and I can't stop it on my own! Make it go away! Just shoot me and make it go away!"

"What did she just say?" the woman choked out, paling slightly as her readiness to shoot faltered. "I _can't shoot_ if you're not actually doing this on purpose, kid! It's against the law! Please, tell me how to help you! Maybe we can—"

"Stop Babbling, Alice!" one of the officers shouted. "Just shoot the bitch and put an end to it!"

"She's just a _child,_ Richard! I can't shoot a _kid!_ Especially if she's not doing this is on purpose!" the woman cried, head whipping to look at him with an askance expression. "She can't be a year older than my own daughter if she's enrolled here! Noble Academy is a _high school,_ for Christ's sake!"

"Alice, I've been in the field for seventy years and I've come across several people who were like this child," a much older man retorted, aiming his gun at Lyra and sighting down the shaft. "Believe me when I say that the only way to stop a monster like this is to kill it. If you won't shoot her, _I_ will! The lives of the other students are at stake!"

Lyra just sat there on her knees, crying hysterically as she clutched her head and stared at them with huge, glowing blue eyes—not able to do anything but wait. However, she let out a screech of protest when her powers unintentionally lashed out and the floor exploded in front of the adults in a spray of vines and plants, throwing them all off of their feet and knocking them unconscious. She didn't want to hurt anyone else! She had to stop it! She had to stop her powers, but how?! HOW?!

"No more!" Lyra wailed, then she let out a hysterical scream that dwarfed the previous ones and screeched, "STOP!"

As if by magic, everything seemed to freeze in place: the flames, the wind, the explosions, the plants, the lightning, the earthquake, her wings, even her _powers—_all of it vanished in a shower of blue sparkles that quickly melted away into nothing. In an attempt to figure out what was happening, Lyralianna looked around with a fearful expression as her long hair cascaded back down around her body like a soft silver blanket; unnoticed and unseen, her glowing blue eyes returned to their former gold and the markings on her body slowly receded into nothing. Somehow, time itself had been frozen: everything was completely still now.

"_It's alright now, my dear,_" a soothing voice murmured, seeming to come from everywhere at once. Lyra croaked in alarm and glanced around frantically, but her eyes quickly fell upon a man in a wheelchair and three other people who were standing behind him: two men and a young woman. The woman looked to be of African descent and had long white hair that was very similar to Lyra's: it flowed down her back in silken waves that glistened like snow.

Her attire was mostly white, but it had a red 'X' on the front.

To her right was man with short brown hair and a strange looking visor over his eyes, but there was a menacing air hovering around him.

Then there was the last person: he was a well-built man who was utterly covered in blue fur. His face kind of reminded Lyra of an animal in a weird sort of way—like an odd blue bear that had taken the shape of a human or something. Lyra glanced back at the man in the wheelchair, unsure of what to do; so, like always when she was feeling afraid, the small girl started to move away from them—scooting backwards as her eyes began to water.

"No need for that," the man in the wheelchair stated gently.

"W-who are you?" Lyra shakily demanded, but the man simply sported an amused smile and extended his hand.

"We are the X-Men," he said, gesturing to those around him. "We're here to help you."

_And we're Mutants,_ a silent voice whispered inside her head when the man's hands came to rest on her temples. _In other words, we're people who are very similar to what you are, Lyralianna Evangeline. Let me help you… let me put your mind at ease._

"Make it go away," Lyra whispered brokenly, sparkling yellow eyes never leaving his warm blue ones as the tears began to spill down her cheeks. Not even a second later, she felt a gentle warmth washing over her body, calming her raging thoughts and soothing her fears; it put the girl so at ease that she felt her eyes closing with the exhaustion she was always fighting back.

With a small sound of protest, her head came to rest on the man's lap as she left consciousness.

"Hank, if you would?" he said, gesturing for him to carry Lyra.

"Of course," the Beast commented, nodding before he stepped forward and knelt beside the girl.

With gentle movements, he swept the silver-haired teenager into his arms; however, the fur-covered man frowned deeply upon finding how light she was, for he could instantly tell that the girl didn't eat much. In fact, after judging how thin her body really was, the child in his arms even seemed to be severely malnourished—and that bothered him more than he wanted to admit. The Professor then turned to look at the other two.

"Scott, Storm, I'm sure you can handle things from here?" he asked.

"Yes, we'll be with you in a few minutes," Scott assured him. "Just make sure that the two of you are settled in."

"Come, Hank," the Professor said. "Let's get her on board."

"Whatever you say," he grunted, following the Professor outside of the school as the flow of time around the building slowly reversed and things went back to the way they had been before the catastrophe had occurred.


	4. Chapter 3: The Cheerful and The Broken

**Chapter Three: The Cheerful and The Broken**

When the morning sunlight began pouring through the pellucid drapes, it began awakening the students lying asleep in their rooms. Bright, mostly-refreshed teenagers stretched their arms above their heads and yawned as they sat up. A vast majority of the students smiled and rose from their comfortable beds, and warm greetings of friendship welcomed everyone as they rubbed the sleep out of their eyes. But then the real day began…

"Get out of there!" a boy shouted angrily, pounding loudly on the wooden door. "You've been in there forever!"

"Yeah!" a girl cried loudly. "Classes start in twenty minutes and I still have to shower and brush my teeth!"

Loud shouts and yelling slowly began to echo throughout the entire vicinity as each student lined up for the bathroom.

"Come on, Rogue! Let someone else have their turn!" a third girl finally shouted, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, woman, you can't be that disgusting! I mean, you took a shower last week, so you can wait another day or two just to get one in!"

"Very funny!" a muffled voice snapped from inside the room as laughs followed the girl's facetious remark.

However, the comment seemed to have worked because the door finally opened.

"Thank the Lord! I was beginning to think you were dead!" Jubilee—the girl who'd made the shower comment—exclaimed, patting her best friend on the shoulder as she emerged from the bathroom. Marie D'Ancanto only gave the girl a steely glare and paced toward her room. Turning the knob, Rogue pushed open the door to her dorm and collapsed onto her bed. She'd woken up early to take a leisurely shower, but it hardly mattered how much earlier she had woken up.

The raging stampede of wild animals had come pounding on the door and her time of bliss was over.

Nevertheless, she loved living in the mansion and going to the school.

Then there was Bobby…

_Iceman,_ she thought with a pleasant shiver, _what I'd do to warm him up…_

Her mind interrupted her one moment of glee. She was talking about intercourse when her mutation forbade even the simplest touch! Skin-to-skin contact was something that Rogue simply could not do, unless she wanted to see the memories of whomever it was that she was touching before her powers involuntarily killed them.

Life could be so difficult.

When mid-day finally arrived, the halls were immediately flooded with the entire student body.

The quick shuffling of feet and loud conversations echoed all over the estate as everyone emerged from their classrooms and hastily made his or her way toward the dining hall. However, one mutant in particular strayed away from the teeming masses and headed calmly toward the front door of the mansion. Pushing the solid door open, the mutant stepped outside and inhaled the fresh February air.

"Hey, Rogue! Wait for us!" someone shouted, and the girl spun around in time to catch sight of her two best friends

"What's up, guys?" Marie asked when Kitty Pryde and Jubilation Lee ran up to her; however, the silver-streaked brunette noticed the somber expressions on their faces and frowned curiously.

"You're skipping lunch again, Marie?" Kitty asked worriedly, tucking a stray strand of light brown hair behind her slightly-pointy ear. "This is the third time this week, you know."

"Guys, it's not what you think," Rogue sighed, pushing a silver lock of hair away from her face. "You've seen me eat, so it's not like I'm anorexic or somethin', you know?"

"Really?" Jubilee asked, and Rogue's eyes widened at the new expression that adorned her friend's faces: skepticism.

"I don't believe it!" Marie shouted, throwing up her gloved hands; Jubilee backed away slightly and Kitty flinched at the response. Rogue stood still for a moment and felt her blood boiling when the two girls just stood there: apparently, they weren't even about to reply, and that ticked her off so bad that she turned around to walk away from them with a huff. "Fine, you guys can believe what you want to! I don't need friends like you!"

"We don't think you're anorexic!" Kitty wailed, jumping up and down. "I have problems getting anything to come out right! You know that!"

"We were a little worried and she ended up blowing it out of proportion again," Jubilee cut in, patting Kitty's arm when she buried her crimson face in her hands. "Anyway, you're absolutely right: we've seen you eat."

"Sorry, Marie," Kitty mumbled past her hands as Jubilee smirked hopefully; Rogue slowly felt her anger beginning to wash away as her friends stood there and stared. She wanted to be angry but she couldn't since there were no reasons.

"So, it's not an issue?" Rogue tentatively asked; both Kitty and Jubilee shook their heads,

"No way! Now, let's go scope out the boys!" Kitty giggled. "I hear John's wearing the _hottest_ shirt!"

"Yeah, and Bobby's pretty _cool_ as well!" Jubilee added, nudging Rogue's arm with her elbow—and all three friends laughed hysterically.

Problems forgotten, the teenagers strolled back toward the mansion. Several tones of laughter emitted from the group of friends as they sat down around a large circular table. Rogue had strategically placed herself right next to Bobby, letting her legs graze his once in a while. She had thought that her actions had been in vain, so she reluctantly stopped; but then she felt something against her leg. Surreptitiously looking down, Rogue caught sight of Bobby's leg retracting from hers; she glanced up at his face but his expression gave nothing away. He continued to chuckle at the random jokes and gossip that people were throwing around, and the casualness made Rogue blush.

"What's wrong, Rogue?" Jubilee asked, giving her friend an intent look. "You look flushed."

Rogue blushed even more when all of the faces turned toward her.

"Nothing, I'm just dying from the heat," she instantly replied, fanning her face. Cynical looks greeted her everywhere she turned, so she desperately tried to change the subject by asking, "So, who's going to the dance?"

Everyone's attention immediately turned away as the girls began talking about their outfits, makeup, and hair. The guys avoided the topic at all costs, though, and chatted amongst themselves about miscellaneous 'boy things.' Rogue sighed in relief as the attention was directed away from her and sat back in her chair, exhausted. The familiar leg rubbed up against hers again, though, and she blushed scarlet before sinking down even further.

"Nice goin'," Bobby whispered.

"Thank you," Marie whispered faintly.

"Are you going to the dance?" Bobby asked with an impish grin, looking at her with a raised blonde eyebrow; Rogue stared at him blankly before she turned away from his penetrating gaze.

"I… I don't know," she stammered. "I haven't really thought about it."

"Really," Iceman stated, giving her a disbelieving glance.

"Well, I mean, I haven't found the right guy to go with," Rogue replied, feeling the blood rush to her face again

"Ah, I see," Bobby Drake replied, giving her a smile that could melt the ice around any woman's heart.

**TXXXXXT**

When she finally woke up, Lyralianna nearly jumped out of her skin.

Glancing around with wild eyes, she saw an average sized room with a dresser and mirror against one of the walls, along with a nightstand next to the bed; there was also a bathroom door, a desk, a closet, and two large windows. Even though the bed was comfortable, she was freaking out—and the moment her hand made contact with a small book on the nightstand it charged with electricity and exploded in a cloud of paper and plastic. Lyra let out a shriek as the entire stand blew up, leaving nothing huge splinters of wood on the floor.

_I need to get out of here!_ Lyra thought frantically to herself, quickly getting out of the bed and stumbling through the door of the bedroom. Darting into the hallway as her long silver hair swirled around her bare back like a satin blanket, Lyra looked around the halls for signs of other people before she leapt forward and ran for it. She hid behind a pillar when someone walked by and covered her mouth to keep from letting out a startled squeak.

However, her golden eyes became huge with fright when the person stopped and sniffed the air like an animal.

_Eek! This guy isn't normal!_ Lyra thought frantically to herself, trying not to squeal when the sniffing person began to move in her direction. Letting out a terrified wail when he actually sniffed his way to within three feet of her hiding place, the tiny girl took off down the hall at top speed—not even bothering to look back when she heard a man yelling at her.

"Hey, come back here!" a deep voice roared; with an animalistic snarl, the sound of sprinting footsteps ensued

"Get away from me!" Lyra shrieked, bolting past a few startled-looking students and darting down the stairs before running through the halls in an effort to keep away from the man. Lyra's current fear was slowly starting to fuel her powers, which charged her body with electricity. Every time her hands brushed against something, it would exploded moments later due to the electrical charge being released into it.

The effect sent people running away from her in every direction.

_Turn right,_ a commanding voice suddenly instructed, seeming to echo all around her.

For some reason or another, Lyra decided to listen and turned right with a sob—silver hair flying.

_Turn left at the next corner. _

Lyra turned left at the next corner, ducking with a squeak as a statue blew up.

_Turn right and run into the third door from the end of the hallway. _

She followed the instructions and ran into the room, slamming the door shut behind her and collapsing to her knees before she had a panic attack. When Lyra had calmed slightly, she was surprised to see a balding middle-aged man sitting behind a desk with his back to the large window behind him.

_Good morning, Lyralianna_.

"It was you giving me all of those directions?" the girl squeaked, going bug-eyed instantly.

"Yes, I sent Scott and Logan to retrieve you," he explained. "Scott my boy, how are you this morning?"

"Running all around the damn institute trying to catch up to her," Scott replied, glaring at Lyra from behind his glasses after opening the door—who flinched and shrank back against the wall: he had simply been trying to help her and she'd run away from him. Lyra sighed quietly before she looked back up and gazed at the professor with sparkling golden eyes.

"Um… I don't mean to be rude, sir, but… where am I exactly?" Lyra asked, high-pitched soprano sliding gently into the air as she bit her lip and weakly slid to the ground. However, the small girl tensed and watched the crippled man with wary eyes when he wheeled out from behind the desk and rolled forward, slowly coming to a stop directly in front of her.

"You are at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," he said proudly. "This is my school."

"Um…" Lyra whispered, shivering slightly as she drew her knees up to her chest, "Professor Xavier?"

"Yes, my dear?" the weathered man asked kindly.

"How… exactly, did you manage to find me?" Lyra asked slowly, still feeling a bit confused about everything.

"Well, let's just say that you're a very unique girl," he replied, hinting a bit on the word 'unique.'

"What exactly do you mean by unique?" Lyra inquired, looking at him with confusion written all over her face; he came even closer, much to her dismay, wheeling in front of her and placing a hand gently on the top of her head.

"I was able to hear you when you were calling for help, child," he explained. "You were able to project your thoughts quite well, I might add: I was able to hear you all the way across the country, which is a feat not many people can achieve."

_Oh, God, this can't be happening to me,_ Lyra whispered silently, feeling totally horrified. _There's more to my powers than what I have already_?

"You've been running for a long time, but you don't have to any more since we can help you," the Professor said gently, rubbing the top of her head until she stood up and jerked away from him. Lyra looked down at her small white hands, but her golden eyes went wide when she saw that the tips of her fingers were starting to spark with electricity—causing her to back away quickly in an effort to avoid hurting anyone.

Lyra darted out of the room and left the two men staring after her.

"Should I go after her?" Scott asked, turning to the professor and giving him a questioning look.

"No… I don't think there will be any need to do that. You can have Storm keep an eye on her, though—just to make sure she doesn't get into trouble," the crippled man offered as he wheeled himself back behind his desk. "I'll be introducing her to the rest of the students tomorrow at dinnertime, but first and foremost we need to make sure she doesn't lose control. From what I can sense, she's gone out into the Southern Courtyard near the acacia tree."

That sense had been correct.

Lyra was curled up in a little ball beneath the sheltering leaves of the biggest tree at the Academy, fighting back tears and making sure her emotions were under control before she dared to sit up. After looking up at the beautiful green canopy resting above her, Lyra let out a dejected whine before burying her head in her knees. She was feeling mentally stressed over everything that had happened: she was surrounded by kids who had supernatural powers.

Yet, all of the people she saw looked happy.

Lyra watched them forlornly as they went to their first classes, feeling slightly jealous of what they had and what they could do. She quickly learned from observing a few of the students milling around that they were able to be themselves without having any problems—they could have friends and regular conversations with each other, without any fear of prejudice or being tossed aside like garbage despite their abnormalities. Everyone here seemed to accept one another from a first glance, but Lyralianna knew that these smiling people would inevitably end up being afraid of her in the end.

Just like every other place she'd been to, she had been left all alone in a sea of friendly faces.

The unhappy girl soon found herself gazing at her hands as they sparked with electricity: shaking her head in despair, she let out a sob and buried her head in her knees once again, crying quietly so she wouldn't attract unwanted attention. She was tired of holding back the tears, tired of suppressing her painful emotions, and tired of acting expressionless when she was so full of misery. It felt as though the pain would kill her if she didn't cry.

After crying like that for a long time, she heard a sound that sounded like an old-fashioned buggy letting out a puff of exhaust.

"I vas not aware zat any ozher people liked my favorite tree," a cheerful voice called from above.

Lyra's head snapped up in an instant and she jumped with a startled squeak: someone was dangling upside down from a tree branch, but he was staring at her with his face hovering only an inch above her own. Flailing around in alarm, the girl tried to jump back and accidentally cracked the back of her skull against the wood, nearly knocking herself unconscious in the process. Not a smart move, all things considered.

"Ow!" Lyra squealed, rolling over and curling into a ball as she clutched her head with both hands. "Ow, ow, ow!"

_"Ach,_ sorry about zat!" the speaker exclaimed as another poof came from above her head.

Lyra jumped and smacked her head against the tree a second time when the boy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, staring at her through a cloud of smoke as he crouched beside her. Admittedly, he was slightly intimidating despite the fact that he couldn't have been much older than her: he had dark blue skin, pointy ears, yellow eyes that were just a _tad_ bit different than hers, and a thick, extremely long spaded tail that flicked around like a cat's.

"W-who are you?" Lyra whined, heart still pounding as she rubbed her head and fervently dried her eyes; the boy grinned like a child on Christmas the instant she asked her question, tail flicking back and forth behind him.

"My name is Kurt Vagner!" the blue-skinned boy happily introduced, but then added as an afterthought, "although, to my friends in ze Munich circus I vas known as ze Incredible Nightcrawler. I vas… expecting you to ask, 'vat are you?' zough."

"Uh, cool, I guess," Lyra stammered, staring at his mouth with round eyes: he had fangs.

_Real_ fangs.

"Vell, don't I make you uncomfortable?" he asked, tail twitching as his glittering eyes became a bit pensive.

"Not... exactly," Lyra peeped, slowly turning crimson when he blinked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "I mean, you _did_ startle me, but… well, I'm not really used to having other people talk to me, so I'm kind of in shock right now."

"Vhy is that?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and giving her a bright, pointy-toothed grin. Lyra instantly glanced away, staring down at the grass as she brushed her fingertips against it: she could felt the electricity building inside her body due to her anxiety, but she jerked her hand away from the ground when her fingers sparked by accident. Electricity could surge out of her body if it was grounded by accident: it would create an explosion.

"Well, I'm not exactly an average… girl," Lyra murmured solemnly; after a moment she realized how snobbish the statement had sounded and quickly tried to correct herself, slowly turning bright pink with horror. "Wait, hold on! What I meant to say is that… you see, I, um…"

"Vhat is wrong?" he asked, eyes glittering in confusion when she turned crimson and fell silent.

"Let me just… show you... talking has... always been difficult for me," Lyra sighed, signaling for him not to come any closer.

She picked up a fallen leaf and looked at it with intense eyes. He patiently sat down on his backside and watched her curiously, putting his hands on the ground in front of him as his tail thumped against the ground like a puppy's. It was such a startlingly adorable pose for a big guy like him that Lyra actually had to fight back a smile for the first time in _years._ She quietly shook off her spontaneous fit of positive emotion and drew in a deep breath, trying her hardest to concentrate: this would be one of the few times she was actually trying to make her powers work instead of having them explode on their own.

After about a minute, her eyes rippled like water and the leaf burst into flames with a series of blue sparks.

"Zat is amazing!" he exclaimed, grinning in delight and clapping his three-fingered hands.

"No, it's not!" Lyra protested, shaking her head with a frantic expression. "Most of the time my powers are uncontrollable, and when you're in control of things like water, wind, earth, fire, electricity, and who the _hell_ knows what else, not being able to keep it from lashing out at random is _terrifying!"_

Without realizing it, Lyra slapped her hand on the ground for emphasis: the moment her skin connected with the dirt, her point was proved when a small explosion erupted next to her body—causing the tiny girl to jump and let out a startled squeak as the grass on caught fire.

"Vell, maybe zat is a bit dangerous," he worriedly amended, staring when she leapt to her feet and stomped on the flames.

"You have no clue," Lyra whispered once the fire was out; somehow, this odd blue-skinned boy seemed to catch the sadness in her voice and instantly tried to brighten her mood with a cheesy grin.

"Vhy don't you tell me about it, zen?" he suggested hopefully. "Maybe it vill help with your control."

"No," Lyra instantly retorted, turning her head away as her eyes turned cold. "No... I don't talk much, especially about myself."

"Hey! Blue Boy!" a male voice suddenly called.

The two of them glanced toward the speaker with identical starts. Lyra was surprised to see a teenaged boy with startling silver hair approaching them: his locks were almost identical to hers in color, lacking a little bit of the sheen—but instead of having golden eyes, he had crystal blue ones that glittered like ice.

"_Ach Gott_! Sorry!" Kurt whispered to Lyra before disappearing in a cloud of blue smoke.

"Hey, don't leave me here!" Lyra squeaked in protest, waving her arms through the smoke in an attempt to find him.

"No fair!" the silver-haired teenager cried in annoyance—but then he saw Lyra and froze, staring straight at her fragile features and raising his eyebrows when he noticed their similarities. When a slow grin spread across his impish face, Lyra shrank back against the tree: the look he was giving her only meant that some serious trouble was coming her way.

"Lord, please don't let him come over here," she whispered, sending up a prayer as she slowly climbed to her feet.

Her prayer was ignored, ironically enough.

"Hey, cutie pie! What's your name?" he asked smoothly, backing her up against the tree with his large frame. Lyra's breath caught in her throat when he bent down and eyed her with predatory blue eyes, and she trembled as her fear began to trigger her powers; her chest was tightening with the familiar icy prickle that said she was getting close to losing control, so she struggled violently to restrain the electricity coursing through her body.

"S... st..." she tried to stammer, only to have the words fail her.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" he asked, raising a thick silver eyebrow as she stared up at him with huge eyes.

Lyra squeaked in terror when he started to reach a hand out towards her, for she knew there was no stopping what was going to happen. Before she could blink, the tree behind her exploded and she was sent flying. She ended up landing on her right shoulder and felt a sickening pop as something came loose, but the only thing her mind was aware of were the shouts. Slowly untwisting herself from the ground and struggling to sit up despite the pain in her arm, Lyra clutched her throbbing shoulder and looked frantically around for the albino to make sure she hadn't killed him by accident.

"What's wrong with you?!" the silver-haired guy suddenly screamed into her ear; she flinched in surprise when he sprinted nearly ten yards away in the span of a second and gave her the finger before shouting more insults. Lyra didn't hear any of it, though: the only thing her mind was registering was the hateful look he was giving her, causing her golden eyes to water. Again, she was being hated... yet, this time it was worse, because he had powers.

He was endowed with abilities like her, and she was still more of a freak than him.

Lyra started to lower her head, but then she heard a familiar poof and froze: Kurt was crouching next to her again, yellow eyes extremely apologetic. The moment he wrapped his arms around her, the silver-haired boy became outraged and started to use his super speed, but a second later he was gone and the two of them were somewhere inside the school. That wasn't what had Lyra's attention, though: she was busy watching Kurt's tail, feeling amazed as it gave a sharp twitch behind him.

Her eyes had become entranced by it for some reason or another.

"I am very, very sorry for leaving you zhere," Kurt whispered, sounding ashamed of himself. "It did not cross my mind at all zat he vould target you, even zough you obviously have similar appearances. He tends to be a bit of a player."

"I'm used to it," Lyra croaked out, glancing down at her throbbing arm with a pained expression. "I think my shoulder came loose from its socket, though… it hurts like crazy and I can barely move it."

"I am truly sorry, Miss…" Kurt trailed off when he realized that he hadn't actually asked for her name. "My apologies for my ill mannerisms, but vhat is your name by any chance? I'm afraid zat I never got around to asking you."

"My name is Lyralianna Evangeline, but people call me Lyra," she replied, golden eyes once again becoming glued to the big blue tail that somehow seemed to never stop moving. "I don't have a last name, though... nobody knows what my parents' last names were, not even me."

_If I were a cat, I would seriously be batting at his tail right now,_ Lyra absently told herself, watching how his long blue tail waved through the air with eye-entrancing movements. _Actually, scratch that: I'm still tempted to try._

_"_Zat is a pretty name," Kurt murmured, cocking an amused eyebrow when he noticed her wide-eyed gaze.

"Not really," Lyra told him absently, mind preoccupied with the blue appendage flitting back and forth behind his body.

"Does mein tail really interest you that much?" he asked as a small grin spread across his face.

Lyra flushed when he asked, but only an embarrassed squeak came out of her mouth when she tried to respond: she couldn't seem to get any words out, much less a proper sentence. However, she could have sworn the next thing he did was on purpose: he flicked his tail in front of her face, waggling it in directly in front of her eyes—which made the girl bat at it reflexively. Then he did it again, and she responded with another small swipe; this continued for a good ten minutes.

Lyra somehow ended up on her back, pawing at his limb with a concentrated expression on her face.

While she was doing this, a tentative grin slowly spread across Kurt's face: he found it pleasant to have someone see him as normal—although, it was more like a feeling of equality since she honestly seemed to be at ease around him. He wasn't exactly used to people reacting to his appearance so calmly, since a lot of humans... mutant or not... were very prejudice against outward appearance. Yet, at the same time, he was enjoying Lyra's company... especially since her demeanor around him was so calm.

She was batting at his tail, totally focused on catching it between her hands: she was acting as though she didn't even realize him _having_ a tail was strange.

He liked that a lot, but unfortunately, he knew he had to end their playtime with a question she was dreading.

"Lyra, may I ask you somezhing?" he asked, looking at her with cautious yellow eyes when she blinked and peered at him in surprise; she looked as though she'd forgotten he was there, even though his tail was the main source of her intense focus. He fought back a laugh and continued on with what he'd intended to ask. "Vould you like me to get someone to help you vith your arm? He just got back today, and it vould be very quick."

"Do we have to?" Lyra whined, paling at the thought of having her shoulder popped back into place. It was going to _hurt._

"No, ve don't," the blue boy stated pointedly, "but it vould be a good idea to get it fixed sooner razher zan later."

"Fine," Lyra whispered, confidence beginning to fall again, "but you… won't leave me alone with this person, will you?"

"I vill not leave if you do not wish me to," he assured with a nod. "I'll be vight back."

"Thanks," the small girl sighed, watching as he disappeared with a poof. True to his word, he was back not even a minute later: he poofed into the room, but Lyra was actually a bit startled when she realized that Kurt was clinging to the back of a bored-looking man with thick, wild sideburns and an unkempt haircut that made him look uncannily worlfish.

"So it's the undersized kid with the white hair?" the man grunted, taking a whiff of the air only to blink. "I was looking for you earlier."

"Who... is that?" Lyra asked, shrinking into the mattress as she stared at the man's piercing brown eyes with large yellow eyes.

"His name is Logan," Kurt explained, flipping off of the man's back and landing on the dresser. "He goes by ze name Wolverine, zhough."

"What's your name?" Logan demanded, quirking an eyebrow as he stared at her without blinking. "It's the least you could tell me since you made me chase you all over campus this morning. You're the first person to ever escape my sense of smell, and I don't like that at all."

"My name is Lyra," the girl replied, not blinking either, "and I'm glad I got away from you earlier, because you scared the hell right out of me."

The rugged-looking man cocked an eyebrow, but now they were in an odd staring contest of sorts.

After about twelve minutes of staring at each other with identical blank expressions, the man finally blinked and growled stubbornly at the girl.

"Don't you ever blink?" he demanded, irritation completely obvious in his deep voice.

Lyra blinked herself and simply shrugged, but she immediately regretted it when pain seared through her left arm. The small girl squeaked and held onto it tightly as Logan stretched out his calloused hand. He was a bit rough—but then again, he was trying to be gentle and couldn't keep all of his crudeness back. When he pulled Lyra a bit closer to his side, she looked up at him with fear in her golden eyes. She glanced at Kurt for reassurance, but relaxed when she saw that he was sitting not even a foot away from her.

"This is gonna hurt," Logan warned, getting a better hold of her frail-looking arm and shoulder.

Lyra could see Kurt's tail flicking furiously around him, pointed ears twitching as he trained his bright yellow eyes on her face. Within moments, the small girl was nearly choking on a hysterical scream as her arm was roughly shoved back into its socket. Tears began flowing freely from her eyes as the man twisted her arm back into place, but she quickly curled into a ball the moment he let go of her.

It was so painful that she literally wanted to knock her head on the wall until she was unconsciousness.

"Maybe I should have let the old fuzzball do it?" Logan said more to himself than anyone else; surprisingly enough, seeing such a frail girl in so much pain was making him uncomfortable since he was the one who'd caused it. It wasn't like him to feel guilty about anything, but feeling guilty he was.

"Logan, could she stay vith me for a vhile?" Kurt inquired, tail thumping hopefully against the ground.

"Less work for me!" Wolverine sighed in relief, hastily getting to his feet. "Don't do anything indecent."

Kurt cocked an eyebrow he watched Logan leave, and he made sure the door was closed before he padded over to Lyra.

"Are you alvight?" he asked, peering down at her pale, scrunched up face.

"Do I _look_ alright to you?" Lyra scoffed, opening her startling yellow eyes and gazing back up at him.

"I don't know," he said simply, folding his arms as he looked down at her. "Zat is vhy I asked in ze first place."

"Can you help me up?" Lyra asked quietly, holding out her uninjured arm; Kurt wrapped his tail around her slender wrist, gently easing the small girl up as he pulled it, and Lyra let out a sigh of relief when she was finally standing up.

"I know zat I told him ve'd be in here, but vould you like to get something to eat?" he asked hopefully, tail twitching back and forth.

"Yes," Lyra replied, and he teleported them down to the kitchen without hesitation—where they made some sandwiches to munch on. However, they were back up in his room after getting the food since Lyra didn't feel comfortable eating when there was a chance that other people could walk in on them.

"Yummy!" Kurt exclaimed, shuddering in delight as he began munching on his ham, mayonnaise, and lettuce sandwich.

"Kurt?" Lyra hesitantly inquired, setting her own sandwich down after taking a small bite; he instantly looked up from his food, yellow eyes glittering.

"Mmn?" he asked, mumbling the fact that he was listening since he currently had a mouth full of sandwich. Lyra tried her hardest not to giggle as she looked at him, but it was difficult: he was just too adorable for his own good. It was kind of annoying to her, actually... but in a good way.

"How do you put up with all of this?" Lyra asked, watching as he swallowed what was in his mouth.

"Vhat do you mean?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and looking a bit confused.

"I mean everything around you: all of this," Lyra absently explained, vaguely gesturing with her hands at the kitchen and everything inside it. He placed his sandwich down on his plate and leapt onto the table like a cat: when she stared at him in surprise, he crouched down in front of her and carefully placed both three-fingered hands on either side of her face. He stared at her face as she paled and shivered, eyes dilating of their own accord.

"You mean ze fear?" he questioned, watching as she slowly nodded her head beneath his touch and stared at him without blinking. "Vell, I don't put up vith it. I've been hiding it for many long years, Frauline, but during zhose years… many zhings have changed for me."

"How so?" Lyra asked, looking up at him worriedly.

"Since I came here, more people accept me," he explained, cracking a fanged grin at her.

"What about the jerk who tried to hit on me?" Lyra quipped, referring to the silver-haired boy she'd nearly blown up thirty minutes earlier; Kurt snorted distastefully, tail flicking harshly and thumping against the table.

"Quickzilver…" he muttered, unintentionally rolling his tongue on the 'r' in an unhappy growl.

"So, that's his name?" Lyra asked, watching as Kurt nodded in irritation; his unhappy attitude suddenly caused her to realize something about his relationship with the albino. "He causes you a lot of problems, doesn't he?"

"Quicksilver is vhat some people vould call a pain in the arse," he stated not-so-kindly, fluidly jumping off the table and sitting back down on his chair.

Lyra, however, giggled at the blunt response and nodded her head in understanding: she had gotten that impression almost right off the bat. As she glanced at the blue boy and saw him take another bite of his sandwich, she felt a surge of warmth that told her she'd just made a really good friend. The moment that positive feeling swept through her, Lyra's powers ignited with a strength that shocked her senseless. The girl doubled over and smacked her head against the table, holding her stomach with both hands.

Her emotions were surging in a way that was strange to her, since she rarely ever felt any emotion aside from loneliness, pain, fear, sadness, misery, and the occasional hope that only led to more negative feelings: the energy that radiated from her positive emotions was always much stronger than the negative, and subsequently only that much harder to control. Lyra sat there with her forehead glued to the table, clutching her stomach as the positive power burned through her veins like poison.

When she finally lifted her head, Kurt was staring at her with unblinking eyes and a mouth full of sandwich.

"Vhat is ze matter?" he asked around his food, not bothering to swallow because of his concern. Lyra ignored the question in favor of standing up and stumbling over to the door, wobbling unsteadily and holding onto the doorframe to keep herself from collapsing. The water in the air was starting to condense around her hands and the electricity residing inside her body was starting to surge—which meant that she needed to get out of the room before she did some serious damage.

"I can't…" the small girl choked, panting as her golden eyes flared with a gentle blue light and started to glow.

"Lyra, vhat is ze matter?" Kurt asked again, instantly worried about her changing appearance.

"N-not here!" Lyra spluttered, knees shaking as she ran out of the room and sprinted down the hall as fast as she could go.

"Lyra!" Kurt shouted, but it was no use: the small girl was already gone.

The blue-skinned boy sighed as he glanced down at their food, but then he disappeared from the room with a poof. Lyra could feel her hands heating up as power began to spark around her fingers; she could see the small flickers of electricity darting around and between her fingertips like miniature lightning bolts. This was a sign that she was in some serious trouble, but even worse than that was the fact that she currently had no control over her building powers.

The only thing she could do right now was avoid other people at all costs, but that was never the way things happened.

After all, her luck was terrible.

"Hey, Silverlocks!" an angry voice roared, making Lyra whirl around. "You nearly killed me earlier!"

"If you'd keep your hands to yourself, maybe things like that wouldn't happen!" Lyra squeaked back, not breaking her speed-walk as she tried to find a place to stay safe. However, her eyes widened when he sprinted forward and grabbed her arm; she jerked away when her powers flared up again, pupils dilating with a sense of unholy fright. "G-get off me! Leave me alone! Please, just let go of me and stay back!"

"No way, Sugar! Not until you tell me why you tried to kill me," the boy retorted in a seductive tone; before she could actually go anywhere else, his arms stretched out and wrapped around her shoulders. Lyra's mind completely froze and her breathing stopped for nearly ten seconds—but then it quickly returned and she went out of control. The girl closed her eyes as they flashed with blue light, and she let out a hysterical scream as the ground around her body bucked violently and began to quake: a lightning bolt flashed out of her body a second later, nearly taking Quicksilver's left arm clean off.

"Stop! Everyone get away from me! I'm losing control of it!" Lyra shrieked at herself, falling to her knees and clutching her head as her eyes shone brightly and the wind kicked up around her body. A set of colossal wings exploded out of her back in a spray of white fire, and her eyes began to emit neon blue beams of light as the ground jolted violently and gave away in different areas: the fact that the earthquake increased in strength was a clear signal that she couldn't stop the flow of power.

She had lost her control over it.

"Freak!" Quicksilver cried, clutching his bloodied arm. "You're out of control!"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Lyra cried as her hair billowed out like a cloud of silver fire. "Stop talking and run away from me! I can't stop it anymore!"

"Kid, what the hell are you doing?!" Logan's deep voice roared, sounding absolutely furious.

"No, stop! Don't come near me! Stay away!" Lyra shrieked, flailing her arms when she saw him sprinting towards her. "Stop running! You'll get hurt if you come too close to me! I don't want anyone getting hurt again, so don't come any closer, please! No! STOP COMING CLOSER, YOU IDIOT! STAY BACK!"

"Kid, you have to calm down!" he shouted, still coming closer despite the fact that the sky was darkening with thunderheads. The black clouds swirled high above the spot Lyra was sitting, seemingly being called by her powers, and lightning bolts soon began lancing in every direction.

"I—I can't!" Lyra wailed hysterically, hugging herself and shrieking in alarm as her power spiked.

A gale ripped up from the ground and tore around her body, sending her hair and school skirt flying toward the sky in a furious wave of wind. When she looked up, the girl let out a shriek when she realized that a twister was descending around her body: it was the first time she had ever been outside when she'd lost control, and she quickly covered her eyes as the air around her began to darken with dust and debris.

She had never really put two and two together, but after a dazed moment of realization, the girl understood that being able to control the elements of nature most likely included weather: clouds were made up of water, wind patterns regulated the flow and types of clouds, heat and certain electrical discharges could create storms, and Lyra had control over all of the above elements.

Or, scratch that... she had no control whatsoever, which meant that they could spiral out of whack thanks to her emotions.

Then a lightning bolt suddenly exploded down from the heavens and lanced the approaching man—destroying his face in a flash of searing light and deafening sound before sending him flying backwards. Lyra screeched and squeezed her eyes shut when she saw him lying on his back with blood all over the place; what she didn't see—given the fact that she clutched her head and put it against the ground with a hysterical wail—was the fact that Logan was getting back up and his skin was healing. She nearly died of a heart attack when he breached the descending vortex and put his arms around her shoulders.

"Calm down!" he instructed, shouting over the sound of the wind.

"L-L-Logan?!" Lyra cried, trying to pull away from him with no results. "Don't touch me! You have to stay back!"

"Just calm down, kid. You can't hurt me no matter what you do," he said into Lyra's ear, trying to calm her down as he held her shaking form against his chest. When she realized that he wasn't going to let go, Lyra started crying and her powers simmered down a little bit. She simply couldn't take it anymore: just like every other time it had happened, she hadn't been able to deal with it by herself. She couldn't handle the situation or her powers: everything was always out of her control because it was too much for her to take on. The moment she'd turned into a monster, her life had gone out the door.

Lyra quickly found herself hugging Logan and crying against his chest. Normally, her powers took free rein over the situation whenever she cried like this—but this time they didn't act up; instead, they seemed to stop altogether. Logan rubbed her back as the two of them sat there, a few straggling students watching the scene in the courtyard with shocked and confused eyes. The Wolverine was holding a frail teenage girl against his chest like a father would—a father who dearly wanted to help his little girl; and before she was aware of it, Lyra ended up falling asleep in Wolverine's arms.

She was completely exhausted, and her body had simply given out on her.

**TXXXXXT**

"Have you heard about what happened?" a boy whispered.

"I saw everything, and it was terrifying!" a girl replied, looking absolutely shaken. "I swear, a twister came down right out of the sky!"

"Was it a guy or a girl?" another girl asked.

"I couldn't tell from where I got pinned against the wall, but I think it's a guy!" her boyfriend replied.

If you hadn't guessed, gossip was spreading like a wildfire throughout Xavier's Mansion around dinnertime. Word had escaped that a new student with incredible powers had taken residence at the school, and that he or she had utterly destroyed one of the southern courtyards by accident: because of that, every student wanted to know who he or she was. Bobby Drake and his best friend St. John Allerdyce sat together at a table and conversed quietly as they ate their dinner.

"Hey, did you a chance to see who the new guy was?" Bobby asked his friend inquisitively.

"I only got a brief look, man, but I'm tellin' ya it's a female," Pyro replied with a shake of his head. "She had hair that was way too long for any sane dude to have, and I highly doubt that a guy would ever wear a British schoolgirl outfit. Still, she was a total badass... no joke or pun intended for once."

"Hello, boys," another voice interrupted their conversation: it was Marie D'Ancanto, Rogue to everyone who didn't want to fall into a fatal coma. Her soft brown hair fell neatly onto her shoulders as the wisps of white framed her face. She smiled at Bobby, who grinned right back at her with a wink; John merely gagged himself and leaned on his friend's shoulder with a groan.

"I think I'm gonna be sick, man," Pyro muttered, and his friend smacked him on the arm.

"Got any news on the powerful mystery student?" Bobby asked the girl. "John here tells me that—"

"Don't even think about it!" Pyro spat, and a sudden pain in Bobby's right foot cut his sentence short; when the blonde boy glared at him, the black-haired teen simply raised an eyebrow and stopped flicking his lighter with a snort. "I'm sure she doesn't want to know about what I've told you, Iceman."

"Okay?" Bobby stated in confusion, feeling a bit taken aback by his friend's reaction even after being glared at. Acting as though she hadn't heard the argument between the two boys, Rogue plopped herself down into a chair at their table. When she neatly avoided the sour looks from John, Bobby smiled in triumph as the pain in his foot subsided.

"Rogue, do you know anything?" the blonde boy repeated, but the girl shook her head.

"I haven't seen 'em for myself, but I've heard rumors all over the place," Marie noted with a shrug, then proceeded to mimic the people she'd seen earlier using the superman theme. "'_It's a guy!_' '_It's a girl!_' _'No, it's—ugh, who the fuck cares?_' I mean, damn—the new student could be a transvestite for all we know, so why the hell should we worry about it?"

Bobby snickered at the blunt explanation and watched as Pyro struggled to stifle a laugh of his own: Iceman knew that John didn't really want Rogue to know that he was acknowledging her, so he was going to play it cool and avoid everything that had to do with her at all costs. That was fine with him, though, since he really wanted Rogue's company all to himself.

"Rogue, would you mind having lunch with me tomorrow?" he asked; the words came out of his mouth much faster than he'd wanted them to, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to say them until he had. Marie smiled at the boy sitting in front of her and realized that she hadn't felt this way about anyone before. Bobby was really sweet and fun to be around, and she'd decided a long time ago that she would allow herself to be closer to this one individual than anyone else.

But not close enough to hurt him.

"Of course," Rogue replied, grinning at him when his blue eyes lit up with the sparkle she loved so much.


	5. Chapter 4: Introduction Dinner

**Chapter Four: Introduction Dinner**

_Lyra was sitting on her bed reading a book, listening to the quiet jazz music that her radio was playing and humming along with it. As a seven year old, she was highly responsible and mature—and she loved making her mommy and daddy smile by doing as she was told. Lately, though, they were always mad at each other because of grown-up stuff, and even when she was being good… well, they just never smiled anymore. Lyra lifted her head and turned the radio down when she heard the yelling coming from downstairs, and she knew her mommy and daddy were fighting again. So, wanting to do something to make them happy, the little girl neatly turned off her radio and quietly padded downstairs so she could make them smile. However, she nearly got hit in the face with a plate when she walked into the living room._

_"Mommy!" she squeaked, ducking out of the way as the glass shards went flying; the silver-haired woman froze when she saw her seven-year-old daughter cowering against the wall with a frightened expression. Her crystal blue eyes widened before her father yelled at her, neon yellow eyes shining with outrage behind his glasses as his long black hair fanned out with a surge of his special powers. Lyra recognized it because of how his hair rippled. _

_"Look at what you almost did, Aurora!" he shouted angrily. "Even the mortals know better than to lose control like this! You nearly hit our daughter in the face with a dinner plate because of your temper tantrum! This is why you shouldn't become physically aggressive in an argument!"_

_"Well, it's your fault that all of this started to begin with, you Cheater!" the woman shouted, golden eyes full of ire as she threw another plate at him; he ducked and it shattered against the wall, pieces of glass flying all over the place. "I found out at work today that you slept with my best friend Molly Hayes!"_

_"I did not, Aurora: I've imprinted on you, so doing such a thing with another woman would crush me," Lyra's father sighed, walking toward where the little irl was cowering; the little girl froze when she saw that her mother was lifting another plate and was going to throw it at him. "__Angel, please go back upstairs._"  


_"Mommy, Daddy, stop it! No more being mean!" Lyralianna screamed, moving around him so she could shout at her mother to stop throwing things. However, the seven-year-old little girl was cut off when a plate shattered against her temple. The moment that plate hit her in the face, it was like something inside the small girl clicked: something terrible had been triggered, and she could feel it rising throughout her entire body._

_She felt like she was on fire._

_"Lyra! Are you okay?!" her father cried, but the little girl didn't answer; she stared off into space as her eyes began to glow neon blue. The moment he touched her, blue flames broke out on his arm and he let out a cry before using his powers to extinguish them. Then her mother screamed as more blue fire covered the walls: blinding flashes of light and deafening explosions followed as Lyra's hair fanned out—blowing out the wall behind her and sending debris flying all over the place. _

_"Mommy! Daddy! Help me!" Lyra cried weakly, detached voice echoing hollowly in her ringing ears as she slowly brought her hands up to her aching head and began to cry as pain swept through it. "My head hurts! My entire body is hurting! Make it stop! Mommy, Daddy, help me!"_

_"Lyralianna, hold on! Shalar, her powers! They've awakened too soon!" her mother screamed, but her voice was met with another explosion—followed by a shriek as the ceiling fell on top of her. "Shale, help! Help, I'm pinned by the ceiling!"_

_"Aurora, hang on! Lyra, close your eyes and just tell yourself it's all a bad dream until I come back!" her daddy cried, trying to make his way over to her mommy; the little girl couldn't do it, though… she had absolutely no control. She didn't know how to make it stop. _

_"Daddy! Mommy! Help me!" Lyra wailed, falling to her knees as an unbearable pressure built up inside her head. _

_Moments later, the pressure released itself and the entire house exploded in a spray of blinding lightning, leaving nothing but destruction behind. The little girl was left lying beneath the rubble of her devastated home, pinned beneath a concrete slab and feeling as though she were suffocating until someone finally found her. She couldn't see anything except the bloody metal bars of the wall when they finally brought her out of the—_

"—NOOOO!" Lyra shrieked, bolting upright and thrashing around violently before she fell out of her bed.

She quickly looked around the room as tears unwillingly filled her eyes. Upon recognizing her surroundings, the small girl broke down and buried her face in her hands, shaking violently as she fought to get rid of the sickening emotions raging through her heart. However, the small girl jumped almost a foot in the air when she heard an unexpected knock at her door, and she quickly tried to dry her tears. Her golden eyes soon met Logan's brown ones, though, and she knew she'd been caught when the rugged man's thick brows knitted together. He wasn't sure what was going on, or even what he had walked into, so he knelt down in front of her.

"You alright, kid?" he asked, watching as a few more tears began to fall; all she could do was shake her head and stare at the ground as she sat there, wearing nothing but her nightshirt. She couldn't really do anything but let the tears continue to fall, for the images of her dreams were still haunting her. First she had killed her parents, then she had killed her only loving foster family, and now she was supposed to destroy the entire world.

To put it simply, she felt like evil incarnate: her life was a bane to the world.

"It's my fault," Lyra whimpered, curling into a ball on the floor and bursting into tears.

"Hey now," he sighed, kneeling down in front of her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Lyra cried as he pulled her up a bit, moving her body until she was lying against his knee. It helped a bit since now she wouldn't end up choking on her own tears, but for a while she just lay there and cried, trying to catch her breath—since it was hard for her to get a proper breath in without putting it back out in a fit of sobs. About a hour later, Logan was leaning against the bottom of her bed with her head resting on his leg, fast asleep as he ran a hand through her soft silver hair. Even though the Wolverine was aware he could have left at any time, he didn't: for some reason, he got the feeling that it would be wrong to leave her alone after what he'd seen.

_Logan, can you come here for a second?_ the Professor called, needing help with something in the office.

_I'm busy right now,_ the feral man thought inside his head, giving a grunt of disapproval; after that he didn't hear anything else from the Professor, so he closed his eyes and let himself sleep.

**TXXXXXT**

Dawn was just breaking when Lyra woke up with a violent jolt, and she cautiously opened her eyes.

After a moment of staring stupidly at the ceiling, memories from the previous night flooded into her mind and she sighed. Lyra shivered slightly as she woke up completely, and the girl rubbed her golden eyes as she swung her legs out from under the covers. However, she hadn't realized until that moment just how sore her body was; holding back a cry of pain, Lyra cocked her arms and legs up one by one and massaged them all gently with one hand, wincing slightly at the stiffness in her limbs. After her muscles had relaxed a bit, the small girl looked around but raised her eyebrows when she realized there was a note lying on the vanity.

Lyra swiftly jumped out of her bed—ignoring the protest of pain in her muscles—and padded over to the vanity.

With a curious expression, she picked up the bit of paper and read it.

'_Squirt: If you want you can go ahead and take a shower, but at noon go to the physics classroom and talk to the professor. Since its Saturday, there shouldn't be any classes in the room. Logan._'

Lyra stared at the letter and re-read it a couple more times, analyzing the info. After placing the note back onto the vanity, she walked back to her bed and sprawled out on top of the covers in the same position she'd woken up in. However, when she ran a hand through her matted silver bangs and found that they were pretty much plastered against her forehead, her normally vacant-eyed expression quickly turned into one of disgust.

"Ew... I desperately need to take a shower," she complained, burying her face into her pillow.

With a soft mewl, she lifted her head and glanced at the other door in the room before slowly pushing herself up from the bed and heading over to the door. It gave a long groan of protest as it opened and she winced, hoping to God that no one had heard such a loud squeal. A look of utter amazement plastered her face when she fully opened the door: there were two sinks that were a traditional white with a stainless steel faucet and knobs. The sinks were set on a marble countertop that was built into the walls. Above them was an overhead mirror; on each wall next to the sink were two doors that led to towels and washcloths. A shower was positioned in the center of the opposite walls.

Lyra noticed another door directly across from where she was standing and—in a fit of curiosity—she calmly strolled over and opened it. She came to face another room, but from what she could make out, the place was clean despite the fact that there were a couple of clothes here and there. Lyra had just begun to close the door again when a groggy, heavily-accented voice stopped her cold.

"Vhat are you doing?" Kurt Wagner asked in a sleepy tone.

_"K-Kurt?"_ she barely managed to choke out when his yellow eyes fixed on her. "I-I'm so sorry! Is this… your room?"

"Ja, zis is my bedroom," he replied, nodding his head… and without another word he drifted off to sleep.

"I didn't know boarding schools were allowed to have dorms with two genders living in them," Lyra whispered, closing the door with a blush. "In fact, this is kinda weird... I'm sharing a bathroom with a teenage boy I barely know."

Feeling oddly embarrassed, Lyra opened the bathroom closest on her side and grabbed a towel and washcloth. Then, as quietly as she could, she slid open the glass door and shed her nightgown. Upon stepping into the shower, however, she noticed that there was a different array of shampoos resting on a stainless steel rack. The first three shampoos were for men and the remaining six were for women—all of them from the best honeysuckle-and-cinnamon-scented variety.

_This is pretty impressive,_ Lyra thought in amazement, goggling as she stared at the arrangement of hair products—ranging from Shampoo and Conditioner to self gloss-toning and hair softening treatments. _These people must expect me to stay for a long, long time if they went as far as to know what my favorite scent-products are! This is amazing! And the gloss toner from that company will make my hair shine like a freaking mirror!_

Feeling pretty good after seeing all of this stuff, she turned the knob labeled 'Hot' and preceded to take a shower—washing every crevice and curve of her body. When she finally came out with her silver hair washed and her body unbelievably clean, she wrapped a towel around her torso and looked at the counter as she wrapped another around her hair. Laid amongst one side was multiple beauty products—including deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. Grabbing a hairbrush, she slowly brushed her long hair and tied it back with a black ribbon that was lying among the products.

After getting dressed in one of the school uniforms that Molly had _gladly_ dropped off, she made her way to the office and stepped inside.

"You wanted to talk to me Professor?" Lyra asked in an expressionless voice, closing the door behind her and neutrally clasping her hands together to give off a respectful attitude. The girl saw the Professor sitting behind his desk with his hands similarly folded together, but she bit her lip and her mask slipped a little bit when she caught sight of Logan standing propped up against the wall with his eyes closed. Memories of the previous night flooded back into her awareness for a moment, but she managed to shake them clear and focused on the man in front of her.

"Yes, so will you please have a seat?" he said.

"Okay," Lyra replied monotonously, and once she was sitting comfortably, he spoke to her again.

"Due to recent events, I think that it's time that we held your Introduction Dinner," he stated, looking at the suddenly-stricken girl. "Tonight will be a night where you will spend time with the other students and get to know them, and tomorrow you'll be enrolled in your classes. After you are fully settled in, we'll start trying to work on your powers. I also realize how uncomfortable you feel about this, Lyra, but it's something that we must do."

"Are you serious?" Lyra asked blankly, staring at the man with huge eyes before she emptily glanced down at her small white hands: mutant kids and high school drama she could handle, but the last thing she _ever_ wanted to do was to mess with her powers. She was still terrified that everything would spin out of control like they always did if she even _thought_ about using them for a personal benefit. She had too much power to control by herself.

"Lyra, I'm very serious," the professor sighed, catching the small girl's attention once again. "I know that you can do this if you try, my dear; all it takes is a lot of practice. Now, as far as your regular classes go… depending on how tonight ends, we'll try putting you in with the other students for the time being. You will also be spending a few hours alone with me each day to work on your powers. Logan, by some miracle that only he understands, has also agreed to help with your daily training."

"W-w-what?!" Lyra squeaked, unable to get the words out properly. "B-but, I—what if…"

"Don't worry, child," the professor soothed—and at that moment, Logan shoved himself off the wall and walked over.

"I'll be fine kid, just give me all ya got," he rumbled, patting the small girl's head before walking out of the room.

"He just said to give him all I've got," she whispered, paling to the point of translucency. "He's got to be freaking kidding me! Is he insane?!"

"No, I believe he is quite serious," Professor Xavier replied, causing her to stare at him as though he were crazy. "Now, you're free to go for now. I'll send Ororo, my assistant and the unofficial mother of the school, to find you in an hour. She'll show you around to let you get used to your surroundings."

Without another word, Lyra got up and darted back to her room, where she hid under the covers.

An hour later, a soft knock on her door nearly sent the girl into a panic attack: she had just put on one of her old school uniforms and had already finished tying her hair into her favorite half-up ponytail, but she wasn't exactly ready and the knocking nearly sent her powers over the edge. After a moment of struggling with her startled emotions, the silver-haired girl took a deep breath and managed to calm herself enough to rein in her powers; the gentle knocking came again only a second later, but by then she was fine.

"C-come in," Lyra called shakily, straightening the yellow ribbon on her tattered blazer with a blush. When the door was quietly pushed open, Lyralianna turned around and saw the white-haired woman who had helped rescue her from her old school—but it was only then that the small girl realized she was staring at the most gorgeous woman she'd ever seen. This lady's hair was indeed a shocking white, but it contrasted violently with her dark skin—which looked more Native American than African up close. Her soft brown eyes peered at Lyra with nothing more than motherly kindness, and the gentle expression on her face made the teenager feel strangely at ease.

"Hello, Lyralianna," the woman said in a gentle voice, giving her a soothing smile. "My name is Ororo Monroe, and I'll be showing you around the mansion before your introduction dinner later on tonight. Every new student has one, so don't feel singled out, 'kay? Also… welcome to the family!"

"T-thanks, but could you call me Lyra?" the girl asked uneasily. "I prefer to go by that, since it's less of a 'Mary Sue' name."

"Mary Sue? Never heard that term before… but I like it," Ororo chuckled, cocking an amused white eyebrow. "In that case, you can call me Storm if you'd like to, since I have control over the weather. I felt it when you started brewing up that storm yesterday, too... you're quite the toughie, being able to make a tornado so easily. Enough of the past, though, let's both look to having a bright future together! Now, if you'll follow me then we'll get started with the tour of the academy!"

"Okay!" Lyra stated in a monotone, giving a slow nod and blinking as she followed the woman out of the room..

Maybe it was because the woman gave off such a warm-hearted vibe... maybe it was because the woman herself seemed so optimistic... maybe it was because they shared two similarities in their powers and their appearances. She didn't full know why, but without realizing what she was doing, Lyra tentatively took the woman's hand in her own and held onto it like a lifeline. Storm looked down in surprise and grinned before leading the small girl down the hallway: she pointed out every room they passed and gave a description on who was staying there or what it was for—depending on the type of room. Everything seemed to be going fine until Kurt's face unexpectedly appeared right in front of her face with a poof; the blue-skinned boy grinned at her as a cloud of blue smoke wafted away.

"KYAAA!" Lyra shrieked, abruptly cowering down with her head between her knees as something behind them exploded in a flash of blue light.

"_Ach Gott!_" Kurt exclaimed in German as he dangled above the two women. "I am sorry for startling you again!"

"I think you should feel sorrier for the statue she demolished!" Ororo laughed merrily, looking over her shoulder at the shattered masterpiece with raised eyebrows and an impressed expression. Lyralianna looked at the blue boy and realized he was hanging upside down from a chandelier, but for a moment she could only stare at—surprise, surprise—his ever-waving long blue tail. It always fascinated her for some reason... and it was kind of...

"Eesh," Kurt sighed, wincing as he stared at the statue's remains. "Zat vould have hurt if it had been a real person."

"Behave yourself and get down from there, you little blue _monkey,"_ Storm sighed in dismay, walking over to the lanky youth and yanking on the tail that Lyra was staring at from where she was crouched. The boy lost his balance and instantly came crashing down from the ceiling, but he completely disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke before he could hit the ground. Storm glanced down to see Lyra blinking in an embarrassed daze once her stare on the boy's tail had been broken, but the woman merely smirked and looked off to the side; she didn't want the girl to know she'd noticed.

"Zat hurt," Kurt complained from behind them, rubbing the kinks out of his tail.

"Shouldn't have popped in unannounced, then, kiddo," Storm scolded, waving her finger at him chidingly; Lyra watched the two of them for a moment before her mouth twitched and she involuntarily giggled almost inaudibly... however, the sound of her almost-silent laughter, involuntarily drew attention to her.

"Vhat is funny?" Kurt asked, cocking his head to the side with a perplexed expression.

"U-um… your mother-son relationship?" Lyra timidly offered, shrugging in embarrassment as she fought to keep her face free of emotion; after several moments of staring at her with open mouths, Ororo and Kurt looked at each other and laughed like hyenas—making the girl blush crimson and tuck her chin against her chest while she shuffled her feet back and forth: to say she was embarrassed would have been an understatement.

"May I join you on ze tour?" Kurt chuckled, looking between the two of them as his tail flicked hopefully at the air.

"Sure," Lyra droned, still looking at the ground with expressionless eyes even though a small blush spread across her cheeks.

"Let's show you the outdoors," Ororo murmured, eyes becoming bright when she noticed the softened way that Kurt was staring at Lyra; the look in his eyes was something that no grown woman, especially a romance fanatic like her, could miss.

_I think he's developing his first crush,_ she commented to herself before she glanced at Lyra—who had just turned away from him and was blushing crimson behind her curtain of silver hair. _Wow, this is like a soap opera! Lyra's getting a crush on Kurt, too, and it's only been a day! I really need to talk to the professor and ask if I can try any of those matchmaking ideas I read about the other night. This is too big and cute to pass up!_

**TXXXXXT**

"Bobby, get your ass over here!" Pyro roared excitedly; his unexpected shout could be heard from almost everywhere in the mansion. Bobby, who had been eating lunch with Rogue and flirting profusely at the time of the call, jumped up at the sound of his name being screamed and ran in the direction of his friend. He was oblivious to the loud huff that Rogue emitted, nor was he aware that she was displeased by his departure. Iceman scrambled to the window as more students came rushing down the stairs: when Pyro yelled for an audience, something interesting was about to happen.

However, Bobby gasped when he saw who was walking outside with Nightcrawler and Storm: the new student was standing between them.

"I told you, Man! It's a _chick!"_ Pyro yelled triumphantly. "The new student is a _chick!"_

Loud exclamations filled the entire room as everyone ran to different windows, trying to peer out on the front grounds and get a glimpse of the new student. This was an exciting event for them since Xavier had made it clear that she wasn't a mutant or a human. The girl was extremely unique because she was the daughter of two Angels who had harbored incredible power.

"Hey, what's with all the racket?!" Rogue shouted over the noise, skidding to a halt when she saw everyone crowded around the windows. "What's going on?!"

"Shut up and get your cute butt over here!" Jubilee exclaimed, turning around and yanking Marie closer. "Rogue, the new student is a girl! She's down there with Kurt and Ororo! Look at her—she's so pretty and small! If someone gave her the right clothes, she'd look almost like one of those life-sized Lolita dolls!"

Marie was about reply to her friend when Jubilee pushed her way toward another window in an attempt to spy on the three people below.

_The new girl may be really strong, but she can't be that damned interesting,_ Rogue complained internally; with all of her strength, the brunette shoved her way toward the front of the mass until she found Bobby and John.

"Hey! Bobby, I was wondering if we could get together tonight and have dinner or something?" Rogue offered, clasping her hands hopefully. It took her crush a minute to wrench his eyes from the pane of glass, but he finally turned toward her.

"Sorry, Rogue, but I want to meet the new student. She looks pretty cool, so maybe we can do dinner tomorrow night," he said excitedly into her ear, and without another word he turned back toward the window—leaving a dejected Marie to ram herself through the crowd as she fought back tears.

"Who cares about a stupid girl who can't even find a way to control or divert her own abilities? She can't be that fascinating! Just wait—no one will like her, and once that happens I'll have Bobby all to myself!" Rogue muttered, but then a look of sadness adorned her face and she whispered worriedly, "I hope."

"Ice, I told you she was a fine-looking badass!" Pyro chuckled, ignoring the people shouting like wild animals as he pulled the boy into their shared dorm room. "The new student is way prettier than that Rogue girl ever will be!"

"Shut up!" Bobby snapped, whacking his friend over the head with a pillow. "'Dyce, it's because of statements like those that you don't have a girlfriend yet! You're not supposed to like a girl because she's pretty or—"

"—has a nice ass?" his friend offered mischievously. "Because man, her tits and body may be small, but she's got an _ass!"_

"Yes, thank you!" Bobby gasped, sarcastically batting his lashes. "Look man, you can't just pick the girl you fall in love with. Sometimes you can only fall—and once it happens, you pick yourself up and that person becomes apart of your life."

John stared at his friend in silence before bursting into laughter.

"You're hopeless, Iceman," the brown-haired youth stated, blinking slowly at his friend. "Look at you: you're acting like you're old and wise yet you're only seventeen! I mean, come on, man—what do we know about love, anyway?"

"'Dyce, you might not know what you want from life, but I do," Bobby stated coldly. "I'm willing to bet that I know what love is more than any other student here; I just… I just know."

"Bob, I didn't mean to offend you," Pyro stated, staring at his roommate in a bewildered way before he pushed his soft hair away from his constantly shifting red-orange eyes. "I'm just saying… we're so young! We shouldn't have to worry about love, hate, or anything even remotely that serious yet! The only things we should worry about are good grades, the prom—and how badly I'm gonna kick your ass for turning me into a sappy schmuck! Fuck, why did you have to bring out my good side?!"

Before Bobby could react, Pyro pounced on him and knocked him backward with the bedroom pillow; the blonde teenager went flying off of his bed and crashing onto the floor, staring at the ceiling for several seconds.

"Hey, no fair! I wasn't ready!" Bobby yelled with a laugh, and with that he took another pillow and smacked John hard in the face; before he could get another blow in, the pillow was suddenly incinerated and fell onto Bobby's bed in a pile of ash.

"You know, that's the fifth pillow of mine you've ruined. I think you need to give up yours!" Iceman grumbled, jumping onto John's bed faster than the boy could react and stealing his pillow—giving his friend a good smack or two in the process.

That was when they heard a knock on the door.

"I got it; I got it," John chuckled, making his way toward the door; he was all smiles before he turned the knob, but when the door was pushed aside, he immediately glowered at the person who was staring up at him with expectant eyes.

"What do you want?" he spat at the girl in front of him.

"Nice to see you, too, hothead," she retorted sarcastically, glaring at him, "I'm sorry I disturbed whatever you were doing, but by the looks of your sweating face I'd say you were trying not to burn your nasty hair off. Now, is Bobby here?"

"Hold on, I'll get him. BOB!" John called, glaring at the girl as a small grin began creeping onto his face; he didn't try to hide it, and that made him feel even better. Jubilation Lee stood in the doorway as a disheveled Bobby Drake made his way toward the entrance, but when she saw his disheveled appearance and noticed his sweating face, she smirked in amusement.

"Well, it's no wonder you blew Rogue off! I see that you and John clearly have something going on, so I'll just skidaddle and tell her about your evident change in sexual status!" the girl trilled excitedly; Iceman simply stood there and stared when Jubilee started to turn around, but when she realized he had nothing to say she frowned and turned. "What's the matter? I was just kidding, okay? Seriously, though, could you please tell me why you refused to have dinner with Rogue tonight?"

"What do you mean?" Bobby asked, expression going totally blank. "I didn't do anything like that."

"Uh huh, so you blew her off and you don't remember," Jubilee murmured. "That's two points off for Bobby Drake."

"Listen, Jubes, I…" Bobby tried to sigh; however, the teenager froze and smacked his face when he remembered. "Oh, man!"

"Yeah, thought so," Jubilee snorted, rolling her eyes with a scowl. "She's really upset, Ice! I mean, you should see how she's acting right now! She doesn't even want to meet the new girl because she thinks that you'd rather spend time with her!"

That's when Pyro started in on the conversation.

"Hey, it's not his fault if the newcomer's hotter than hell! Rogue needs to keep her damn mouth shut about things she can't control—and anyway, that grumpy emo girl is old news!" Pyro laughed obnoxiously, slamming the door in Jubilee's face. "Make sure you tell her that for him, buh-bye!"

When he turned around, though, he found himself standing before a very angry blonde.

"I didn't mean to say some of those things," Pyro instantly groaned, rubbing his swirling orange eyes. "They just…"

"No, 'Dyce, it's fine. You're absolutely right: Marie needs to stop being so selfish," Bobby muttered. "That new girl looked interesting, so I want to meet her and find out what she can do. It's not like I'm about to go out with her or anything: she seems like she's out of my league, but there's nothing wrong with being curious about who she is, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, who cares if this girl is a major babe?" Pyro exclaimed wickedly. "So what if she looks like she's way more sophisticated than either of us put together? You said it yourself: 'there's nothing wrong with being curious.'"

Iceman and Pyro smiled at each other, then burst out laughing and resumed their pillow fight.

**TXXXXXT**

The time to meet the new student was at hand and the mansion was in an absolute uproar. The entire student body was excited to meet the new resident—everyone, that is, except Rogue. The teenager was sitting on her bed with her large pillow clenched tightly in her lap. Her face was distraught and her shoulder-length brown hair was a total mess. Jubilee had tried to console her, but very minimally. She had wanted to get to dinner early to talk with the rest of her friends about the visitor.

Who cared about some new girl in the mansion?

No one had made such a fuss about her when she came to the manor. Even more frustrating were the facts that Bobby had blown her off to see this new girl, Pyro was being especially sarcastic to her, and Jubilee—one of her best friends in the entire world—was completely avoiding her because of the excitement. Everyone was so thrilled about the new girl that no one had time for _her_ anymore! It made Marie feel angry to think that the new student was stealing her friends, so, as any normal teenager would, she resented the newcomer.

Dinner came along much too slowly for the student body since it was the special one they had been waiting for. The entire dining hall was chatting about what the new resident would be like. They had all seen her; almost every male had drooled in similar stupors, and almost every girl wanted to meet her. Even more fascinating was the fact that the new girl was the only non-mutant to ever come live at the mansion with them.

Suddenly, the talking died away and Professor Xavier took his place.

"As you all know, this dinner was scheduled specifically to introduce you all to our newest student," Charles addressed loudly, folding his hands with a firm cerulean stare. "However, I must tell you this once again to prevent any sort of accident from occurring—because it is _very_ possible with such a special case. This girl is to be treated with your utmost kindness... and she is to be welcomed into our institute with open arms, _despite_ the fact that she is not a mutant. We hope she'll stay with us for a long time, so please try not scare her away: she's more fragile than a flower with a broken stem, but her legs are still in good running condition."

Almost everyone laughed at the jest, but there was someone in the corner who didn't even smile.

"Lyralianna Evangeline has been through some… rather stressful situations since her arrival," Charles continued, eying his students, "as you all may have heard through the rumor vine. However, I want everyone to show her how pleased we are that she has come to stay with us. She's currently on her way to the dining hall with Storm and your classmate, Kurt... but when she enters, I want you on your best behavior."

Each student chuckled and nodded at their professor: they all knew this was a serious matter. They'd been warned before coming in about what could happen if the girl was overwhelmed, and they really didn't want to get in trouble for causing another Southern Courtyard incident. When she finally entered the room only a moment later, a few eyebrows lifted through the roof when people saw that the new girl was holding onto both Ororo's and Kurt's hands.

Lyra, however, froze like a deer caught in the headlights the second she walked inside.

More than a hundred pairs of eyes were staring directly at her, burning into her face with focused intensity. She shivered and immediately tried to take a step backwards, but Ororo squeezed her hand a little and the small girl looked up to see the woman nodding reassuringly. She slowly began to move forward with her hair hiding her eyes: her heart was thumping rapidly against her chest and her shoulders began trembling only halfway there.

"Lyralianna, I am pleased to introduce to you," Xavier said, voice low and soothing, "the students of my institution."

Letting go of Storm's hand, the fifteen-year-old girl lowered her head and shakily padded over to Xavier's side.

"H-hello," she stammered nervously, voice coming out as a squeak as her golden eyes flashed around the room. "M-my name is L-L-Lyralianna Ev-vangeline but you can call me L-Lyra. I-I'm very glad that you have let me s-stay in your school, and if any of you c-could give me a chance, I'm sure that we could b-become f-friends. At least, I-I hope we c-can…"

"Man, this girl's hot even when she's a nervous wreck!" Pyro snickered to Bobby; the blonde only smirked and shook his head at the statement, but he was undoubtedly curious about the silver-haired girl and he wanted to know everything he could. Xavier slowly inched forward and took Lyra's hand when she trailed off with shaking knees, squeezing it like Ororo had for reassurance.

"Now, all of you are welcome to come and introduce yourselves to Lyra, but please don't frighten her off," Charles stated, cerulean eyes twinkling merrily as he eyed his students once again. "I'm sure that all of you would like to see her stay longer than that."

The moment the man backed his wheelchair away, numerous students hopped out of their chairs and rushed toward the girl—who locked up in fright; hand after hand was thrust in her direction, and soon she felt herself being overwhelmed by all of the excitement.

"Everyone, stop!" Lyra cried, clutching her head and falling to her knees as her entire body began to spark with electricity. "I can't get to know all of you like this! M-maybe we could all have a nice dinner and I could answer your questions then? P-please?"

The noise subsided when Kurt teleported next to Lyra with a poof and helped her up despite the sparks radiating from her body, and everyone silently agreed with her request when they saw that she was dizzily shaking her head. So, in almost no time at all, the students went back to their seats. Lyra slowly sat between Kurt and a rugged boy with slanted brown eyes when the professor took his place and motioned for her to do the same thing: all eyes were still on her, making her feel afraid.

"U-um, okay, let's see," Lyra stammered, anxiously biting her lip; she hated being the center of attention. "O-okay, why don't we go down the rows like the teachers made us all do in middle school? You can all tell me your names before asking me your questions... is... that okay?"

"Logical enough," Professor Xavier noted with a grin. "First up is Jubilee, then."

"Yay me!" the girl squealed, clapping her hands. "Hi, Lyra! My name's Jubilation Lee, but everyone calls me Jubilee!"

"N-nice to meet you," Lyra murmured sincerely, although she was still feeling jittery about being near so many people.

"I was wondering where your kind has been these last few years," the girl exclaimed, leaning forward with an amazed expression. "People have known about mutants for a really long time, now, but you're not a mutant like us. I mean, really—we're all over the news! Congress has multiple sessions daily just to figure out what to do with us. So, my question is this: where could your kind possibly have been all that time? How were you able to hide? I even looked it up online, but there's never been a _single_ incident where information about a heavenly being has been put into a public document!"

"She means that with no offense at all," Professor Xavier explained. "Jubilee is known for her sharp tongue."

"Jubilee's question wasn't exactly offensive," Lyra stated quietly, hooking a shining strand of silver hair behind her ear. "I guess you could just say this: for the l-last eight years, I've been living with unwilling foster parents who weren't exactly thrilled to be taking care of me. During that time, I simply thought I was freak who was born with some sort of weird extra ability. That's what I've been told since I was little... and it wasn't until I came here that I discovered the truth about what I really am. I didn't really think there _were_ others like me: as far as I know, I'm the only Angel in the entire world."

Lyra trailed off and looked at Jubilee: the girl seemed to be way more than satisfied with her answer, and her eyebrows were frozen in a graceful arch. Shaking her head, Lyra mustered a rusty smile and asked for the next question. Student after student voiced their names and the question that they most wanted to ask. Finally, there were only two people left: John Allerdyce and Elijah Westbrook—also known as the infamous Quicksilver.

Unfortunately, the latter of the two was the first runner-up.

"Okay, Silverlocks, I only have one question for you: why did you try to kill me twice in a row?" he laughed, blue eyes flashing wickedly as he ran a hand through his shining silver hair. A few mouths dropped open in surprise before everyone turned to look at Lyra in alarm, whose vacant expression had become positively livid with ire. Xavier remained silent for the moment, choosing instead to watch the confrontation until his presence became needed.

"I'm pretty sure that you already know the answer to that question, you moron," Lyra retorted, glittering golden eyes never leaving his blue ones as she glared at him in disbelief. "I don't have control over my powers and you tried to put your hands on me. Since you were the one who basically poked his nose into something that _bites, _I think _you_ should do the math and tell _me_ what the answer is."

A vast majority of the students chuckled at the witty response, and even the Professor cracked a smile when he saw that Elijah flushed crimson and shrank into his chair with a scowl—obviously having no quick retort to fire back. The last question was asked by none other than John Allerdyce himself, and it was the one that nobody but Bobby was expecting.

"Are you single?" he asked, and several people—mostly the adults—choked on their food.

"E-excuse me?" Lyra asked, blinking a few times as she turned beet red. "I-I'm sorry… who are you again?"

"The name's John, but you can call me Pyro," the mutant replied smoothly, flicking open his lighter and flipping it closed again with a clink.

The teenager licked his lips as his swirling molten eyes seared in her direction, smirking triumphantly when Lyra felt a hot wave of embarrassment washing over her face. However, she composed the powerful emotion after the burning feeling disappeared from her ears and cocked her head to the side. She figured that the Professors and teachers had already given up on him since no one was scolding, so she took the matter into her own hands.

"Nice to meet you," Lyra said politely, "and I apologize, but who I like is _none_ of your business, and neither is my relationship status."

"Well, then how old are you?" Pyro demanded, grinning at her mischievously.

"Fifteen," she shot back, golden eye twitching as her face burned beet red again. Whispers began to form themselves all over the dining hall, and John just sat back in his chair and fingered his lighter with an expression of satisfaction. He loved when something he did caused a commotion, but fifteen was a nice age for such a beautiful girl. He knew that he could show this Lyralianna girl one hell of a time. For the remainder of the night, Lyra managed to keep herself under control as she conversed with the students of Xavier's Institute, but she had to admit that the attention was grating on her nerves and making her jumpy.

After realizing this, the professor let a few of the students who still wanted to talk to her fill into a small, comfortable living room.

"You aren't gonna lose it again like you did in the courtyard, are ya?" someone asked from the corner. "My face hasn't forgotten that trauma yet."

"Huh?" Lyra asked, instantly turning to look at the speaker and rolling her eyes when she recognized his face. After that she glanced around the room and took in the posture of each student: not one member of her audience was slouched in their chairs or twiddling his or her thumbs. They were all intent on listening to whatever she wanted to say—and most of them were leaned forward in their chairs, ready to hear more. Lyra, however, was tired of talking and simply wanted to listen now.

"I feel like I'm being bribed into talking," she sighed, looking at them with unhappy eyes. "Can all of you tell me about yourselves now? I want to know more about the people I'm going to be staying with."

Before anyone could discuss anything, John Allerdyce raised himself from his seat and let his lips curl into a smile.

He bowed to Lyra while simultaneously producing his trademark lighter from his pocket.

"I have the power to manipulate and control fire," Pyro purred, grinning as a ball of flame shot from his lighter and sailed straight toward Lyra's face in the blink of an eye. The small girl froze in her seat and she was suddenly all too aware of the scorching heat that was searing towards her. However, the ball of fire ceased to be before anything could happen and Lyra was left sitting frozen in awe. Her slightly-glowing eyes slowly returned to normal as tiny orbs of fire circled her, flirting with her skin and giving her tiny sensations of their mysterious heat.

"T-that was terrifying, frightening, and utterly amazing all at once," Lyra peeped weakly, slumping into her chair. Without further instruction, each student stood before her and showcased their marvelous talents—all of them receiving an awed expression of amazement and shock. All of them, that is, except the brown-haired girl who was lingering in a corner away from the entire group. Rogue watched the disgusting scene with her arms folded and a sneer resting upon her lips.

_If this bitch wants to see our powers, let's see how she reacts to mine,_ Marie D'Ancanto thought as she got up and pushed Sean Cassidy aside—who had been in the middle of demonstrating his porcupine mutation to Lyra. Everyone fell silent when the brunette planted herself in front of the small girl, and for a moment, Lyra simply blinked at her in confusion. Something about the tall brunette made Lyra feel nervous, and she got the impression that the mutant didn't like her for some reason.

"U-um, hello," Lyra greeted hesitantly, raising her hand and giving the girl a timid wave. "I'm Lyra."

"My name's Rogue and my power is taking people's life energy," Marie sneered in a mocking tone, removing her left glove and almost tenderly brushing the girl's silver hair to the side; she watched Luna's eyes go blank when she gently placed her fingers on her right temple—reveling in the way her pupils slowly dilated. When the pain came, the small girl opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She wanted to die: never before had she been subjected to this much agony: it seemed like the fingers upon her temple was burning right through her skull, but for some reason she couldn't break free of the mutant's wrath. Lyra's head was beginning to spin and she felt her consciousness slipping away from her.

Then the terror slipped in and she lost control of her powers.

With a blinding flash of light, Lyra's eyes exploded from gold to neon blue and she let out a shriek as a searing flow of energy roared throughout her body, coursing down her spine in an excruciating electric wave. Wind exploded around the girl's torso as an energy vortex engulfed her, and Rogue's face went slack in shock as her brown hair was tossed back with the surge of power: that's when she realized, with a severe amount of horrified shock, that Lyralianna Evangeline had _way_ too much life energy for her to take on. Her own body wouldn't be able to hold even a third of it—which meant that if she didn't let go, _she_ would be the one who died. Rogue's brown eyes filled with blinding blue light and she felt the inside of her mind jolt, sending the brunette into a fit of hysterics as her entire inner body burned with a flashing heat wave.

Something inside her was changing! Something was _changing_!

Even though she didn't know it was, Rogue didn't like it because of how much it hurt.

"Rogue, what the hell do you think you're doing to her!" Logan bellowed, pushing the convulsing brunette aside and grasping the screaming girl by the shoulders. "Lyra, it's okay! Calm down before you blow up the whole building!"

"MARY, HELP ME!" Lyralianna cried, squeezing her glowing eyes shut as the power escalated into a deadly thrumming that left the room shaking; the students in the room backed away from her with huge eyes, all of them utterly terrified and clutching each other as the entire building began to tremble with another earthquake. Just as a set of wings exploded from her back in a cloud of glittering silver fire, Kurt teleported into the room next to Lyra and grasped her hand with both of his three-fingered ones.

"Fraulein!" he cried, bringing his face close to her own. "Stop ze vhirlvind and calm down! You are destroying parts of ze manor zat we need!"

The moment he spoke to her, everything halted with an unexpected jolt: Lyra stopped screaming and her eyes returned to normal; the wind slowly came to a halt; and the dull explosions coming from distant parts of the institute fell silent as her feathered wings dissolved into sparkles. Gasping for breath as tears started flowing from her eyes like a waterfall, Lyra grabbed a hold of Kurt's large hand and clung to it like a lifeline; she was shaking all over.

"It happens over and over and over! The running, the screaming, all of it!" she hiccuped incoherently, yellow eyes frantic with vacant terror: she looked as though she were in a severe state of shock, and she was possibly babbling about herself because of it. "They killed my sister Mary, and they were going to kill me, too... but I... I..."

However, her eyes became lucid before she could finish speaking and focused on Kurt's face: her jaw instantly snapped shut and she buried her face in his shirt. bursting into hysterical tears and tightening her fists as she tried to stop crying. While Kurt busied himself in soothing the terrified girl, Wolverine snarled at the brunette who was struggling to don her glove: she looked shaken. Never had he thought that Marie could do something like that to someone less fortunate than herself. Logan turned watched as the silver-haired girl unexpectedly pulled away from Kurt and staggered to her feet, unsteadily stumbling out the door as she fought to stop crying.

"Well, that was a total flop…" Logan muttered, shaking his head when the other students hastily began to leave, moving around Marie and whispering to each other about what they'd just witnessed. Marie herself was staring at her hands with haunted brown eyes... and she felt as though something was wrong with her body

What it was, she didn't know... but something inside her had changed.

Was still changing.


	6. Chapter 5: The Apple of an Eye

**Chapter Five: The Apple of an Eye**

In the days after the introduction dinner, Lyra was either in her school classes or practicing in private with Logan and the the Professor.

To be honest, training with Wolverine was frightening: she was so afraid of hurting him that she held back—but then again, whenever she _did_ hurt him, his skin would simply grow back in a gross display of his powers. Once, when the two of them had been sparring with each other—Logan with his claws and Lyra with a set of frozen ice blades—the girl struck a blow that had very nearly taken off his arm. It was the worst experience she'd ever been put through: even though he'd told her that he was fine, how could any sane girl respond to a statement like that when she could see nothing of her friend's arm but blood, muscle, and the metal he had for a skeleton?

Fainting, that's how.

Class at the Academy was a totally different story for her: after the experience with Rogue, everyone soon lost interest in Lyra and pretty much just left her alone since she was no longer an 'item' of the institute. Whenever she was inside the school environment, she tried her best to remain calm, silent, and in control around everyone else—but it didn't always seem to work. Also, the fact that she had to see Quicksilver everyday in class didn't help matters much: she had already felt uncomfortable enough around him to begin with, so working right next to him on a daily basis made it nearly impossible for her to stay sane.

At the moment, the much-explained Lyralianna Evangeline was currently sitting outside and picking at her food.

To be honest, she really wasn't all that hungry.

She was more occupied with a certain aspect of her powers.

Lyra sat there staring at a rock right in front of her, eyes slowly starting to glow as shimmering silver sparkles began to swirl around her upper torso. As blank intensity worked its way onto the small girl's face, the sparkles slowly began to silhouette the colossal shapes of an angel's wings stretching from her back. Sealing her powers with a flash of light, the wings took on a physical manifestation and connected to her back through her blazer—as though the clothes were made of nothing but smoke.

Lyra sighed and leaned back as she folded her wings around her body.

Now all she had to do was wait until her energy came back in order to get rid of her built-in feathered pillows…

Elsewhere in the mansion, the Professor was escorting a visitor who had arrived only a few hours ago. The visitor was an older gentleman like himself, and they were simply talking about different things as they went along. The man in question seemed to put most of the residence at the mansion on edge, however.

"So, Charles, what have you really been up to lately?" the man asked as they rounded a corner.

"Oh, nothing really, Erik," Charles Xavier replied as he rolled alongside his old friend. "Just the usual sort of things."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard from Mystique that you've come into the possession of a new student—and that it's a rather peculiar one," he stated, looking into some of the classrooms as they walked by.

"You've been listening in on things again I see," the Professor said, halting and looking out of a window. "It's true, Erik: we do have a new student—and she's a rather interesting little girl, I must say. Honestly, I've never seen anything like her in all my years of teaching gifted children. She isn't a mutant, though, and because of that I wish I had found her sooner."

Erik followed his gaze out the window, which happened to land on that of a small, seemingly underfed teenage girl with huge fluttering wings sticking out of her back. What caught his attention, however, wasn't the wings alone; it was the fact that she had extraordinarily long silver hair that seemed to flow down her back like liquid metal; her hair was so long, in fact, that he instantly doubted that she'd ever cut it once in her life. She was sitting upright, yet the gleaming locks had pooled on the ground around her in glossy tendrils. He watched with raised eyebrows as the girl's wings slowly began to dissolve into a shower of sparkles—which intrigued him to no end.

"If I'm not mistaken," Erik stated slowly, "you are already in possession of another student with wings, but from what you've told me, his wings are actually from a raptor-like bird mutation that gave him the ability to fly like an angel... yet, at the same time, they're a _permanent_ part of his body. If what you've told me is true, it would mean that the girl sitting down there _doesn't_ hold a mutant gene and thus wields this type of power as a natural-borne talent."

"Correct: she's not a mutant. She's an angel who's been in my care for nearly two weeks now," Charles explained, gazing at the young girl as she stared vacantly at something on the ground while she nibbled on a bread roll. "I've been trying to work with her on her powers, and she seems to be making some progress."

"Ah, progress! Progress is always good," Erik said with a light chuckle; however, his attention was quickly pulled back to the girl when an unexpected explosion shook the entire building at its foundations—followed by hysterical, high-pitched shrieking that could have shattered a wineglass. With the window open, the two of them could hear every word that was being said.

"Kurt, you ignoramus!" she cried, brushing stone chips of off of her black school skirt. "Don't scare me like that!"

The blue boy simply laughed at her and flicked his tail playfully in front of her face.

"Sorry, I did not mean to startle you," he said, trying to apologize.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" she squeaked, throwing her apple at him—which he promptly caught with his tail.

"Vere you not expecting me to catch it?" Kurt asked when her mouth fell open.

"Okay, okay, I get the message," she sighed, holding her hand out hopefully. "Can I have my apple now, please?"

Kurt shook his head, looking at the apple as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"You did not seem to vant it vhen you threw it at me," he pointed out, biting back a smile when she glared at him.

"Damn it, why do you have to be such an _adorable_ jerk?! It really ticks me off that you can get away with teasing me by acting _cute!"_ she whined loudly, lunging at him—only to fall face first into the dirt as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Ouch! Come on, Kurt, give me back my apple!"

"Too slow, Leibchen!" he laughed from somewhere unseen.

"Poofing away isn't fair, though, and that hurt like hell!" she squeaked, rubbing her small nose with a grimace as she looked around for the sneaky little devil. Kurt was nowhere to be found, though... until the apple fell on her head and she squeaked in alarm.

Charles let out a chuckle as he watched the two of them, smiling at the scene.

"Ororo was right," he sighed in amusement. "They really have begun to fall for each other."

Erik was also watching them carefully, but with other thoughts than budding romance in mind.

"I should like to meet her, Charles," Erik nudged, turning his steely gray eyes to his friend. "That is, if you don't mind."

"Of course, Erik," the professor consented, rolling off with Erik following behind him.

Lyra stood where she was, grumbling as Kurt kept poofing around her: he just wouldn't stay still. When the girl finally lunged at him, she only ended up grabbing his tail—and the next thing she knew was that she was clinging to a tree branch that was quite a few feet up in the air—in the medium double-digits, at least. Her underwear was in perfect position for prying eyes, which made the girl freak out... but not as much as how _high_ she was hanging in the _air_.

"Yikes—Kurt, help!" Lyra shrieked as she hung from the branch; he just sat on the ground below, laughing at her.

"That's a good look for you, Leibchen!" he howled, laughing so hard that tears began streaming from his eyes.

"Kurt, seriously! Get me down before I fall!" Lyra wailed in terror, skinny legs flailing furiously as her fingers tried to keep their hold on the thick branch; her pink teddy bear panties flashed garishly beneath her knee-length skirt. "I don't think I can hold on!"

"No, I zhink I'll let you hang zhere for a few minutes, fraulein," he called up with a gleeful expression, grinning in devilish delight. "Zhe teddy bears on your underpants are all smiling at me vight now, so I believe zhat zhey agree with mein decision! I'll let you stay up zhere so zhey'll smile a bit longer!"

"Ooh, you are _so_ going to get it when I get down there!" Lyra yipped, squeezing her eyes shut as her grip began to slip. "Pervert!"

"Zhat is only if you ever _do_ get down, ja?" he pointed out, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Kurt! Come on! Quit laughing at me and do something!" Lyra cried, watching with a loathing scowl as the blue-tailed devil rolled around on the ground, laughing his ass off at her predicament; he only stopped when her shoe fell off and hit him on the head.

_"Autsch!"_ he cried, rubbing his noggin.

"Get me down!" Lyra squealed as a look of fright swept across her expression. "I'm not kidding anymore, I'm slipping!"

"What's going on here?" Charles Xavier asked loudly, startling her.

"I can't hold on! Kurt, help—I'm gonna die!" Lyra shrieked—and not even a second later, she slipped off the branch. The moment she began to fall, the small girl closed her eyes and prepared to hit the ground hard—only to be stopped halfway through the preparation by two loud poofing noises. When Lyra dared to open her frightened eyes again, she found herself lying safely on the ground while being cradled in Kurt's strong arms: he grinned down at her and his tail thumped twice against the grass.

Loveable moron… she couldn't stay mad at a face like that.

"Well, I see that you've been taking good care of her, but it's too bad she couldn't pick any more apples while she was dangling up there," the Professor chuckled, making the blue-skinned boy blush profoundly. "Lyra, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine, Sir Erik Lehnsherr. Erik, this is Lyralianna, but she prefers to go by Lyra."

The man held his hand out to the girl, but she simply stared at it as her golden eyes momentarily rippled like water before falling still. The Professor let out a small laugh when she blushed and gave him her hand—but he felt even more amused when he brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it: the girl's face became incredibly disturbed.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Evangeline," Erik said, bowing lightly.

"Ditto," Lyra replied blankly, trying valiantly to keep from wiping her hand on her blazer.

"Lyra," Kurt hissed, poking her in the butt in rapid-succession with the point of his tail.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW—damn it, Kurt, tell that pointy thing to leave my butt alone!" she squeaked, smacking at his tail when she could no longer take the brutal poking. Erik watched the two of them with obvious curiosity—as did the Professor, since their relationship was something of an enigma. Lyra didn't really know what was up with the boy, but she wanted to find out—so she followed him, hastily trying to catch up with his overly long legs.

"What were all those pokes for?" Lyra demanded when she finally caught up to him. "They really hurt!"

"He's nothing but trouble," Kurt stated simply, glaring at Magneto from his spot. "Avoid him."

"What do you mean?" Lyra quipped curiously, but then she paled a bit. "Wait… is he a pervert? I mean, he did kiss my hand, which was gross."

"He is zhe enemy," Kurt growled, turning away so he could look at her with a more gentle expression; without another word, he grabbed a hold of Lyra's wrist and pulled her toward the building without noticing how the girl blushed. She wasn't used to having someone touch her so readily, and the experience was pleasantly embarrassing in a weird sort of way.

"Where are we going?" Lyra asked, voice coming out shriller than usual.

"Ze kitchens," Kurt exclaimed, grinning down at her with bright eyes when she gaped at him. "Vas? I love ze granola barz!"


	7. Chapter 6: Semblance of Control

**Chapter Six: Semblance of Control**

_"Ryla-chan, come on! Let's go to the park and make everyone see that we're real sisters now!" Mary laughed, pulling on Lyra's arm. The two girls were playing outside of Lyralianna's house in Los Angeles, but the Asian child had gotten bored. "Pleeease? I want people to know your my nii-chan!"_

_"No! We can't go by ourselves, Mary! Mommy said to stay in the yard," Lyra said firmly, folding her arms and staring at her older foster sister with her lower lip poking out stubbornly. Mary fell to the ground and laughed at the face she was making, but when she finally opened her eyes again and sat up, she froze like a statue and her pretty face went from dark tan to a disturbing white. _

_"R-Ryla-chan?" the little girl squeaked tightly, looking over her shoulder with huge eyes._

_"What's with the creepy face, sis?" Lyra asked, frowning a bit. _

_"R-Ryla-chan, what is that thing?! It's... it's looking at you and it's..." Maki Tokitou whispered, lifting a trembling finger and pointed behind the silver-haired girl's head. Suddenly, she shrieked something in Japanese, climbed to her feet, and bolted into the house. Lyra heard her screaming for their mom, but the girl nearly had a heart attack when she felt someone grabbing her from behind. When she was jolted around in a circle, all she saw was red… and then black. _

_"My precious Lyra," Lucifer's voice hissed from the darkness. "Why don't you meet the name of your destiny? His name is Asmodeus, and he is the one you will be saving once your execution has been fulfilled. I may be the Angel who Fell from Grace, but he is the master here... he is the reason I fell."_

_"Who's there?" the child whimpered, shivering as a feeling of dread engulfed her. _

_Something was waking up in the darkness, something waiting to eat her. _

_She spun around in terror when she couldn't see what was coming, but soon she froze—watching as eyes the color of blood melted out of the unbreakable shadows and fixed on her stricken seven-year-old face. Sickening yellow teeth gleamed as the demon stared at the little albino girl, eying her hungrily as its fangs dripped their venom. A bony hand suddenly shot out of the dark and clamped down on her arm as the monster opened it's jaws, letting out a roar so beastly that it nearly melted her into a puddle from the terror. An angelic blue mark began to trace itself out on her skin with a glowing light, traveling up her arm and winding around every part of her body. She screamed when the light began to burn and blood bubbled up from it, muscles shaking and trembling as a fit of demonic laughter echoed out of the darkness._

_"You are my Gem!" the demon roared, lunging for Lyra's throat—_

"Fraulein, wake up!" Kurt cried, pounding on the door to wake the screaming girl without entering her room. However, he felt he didn't have a choice since she couldn't seem to hear him. Just as he was opening the door to her room from their joined bathrooms, Lyra smashed into it and he scrambled aside when she ran over to the toilet. Face a sickly white, the small girl leaned over the toilet as her dinner made it's reappearance: just as she emptied the contents of her stomach, she felt someone moving her hair out of her face—but when she turned to look at her helper, she was surprised to see that it wasn't Kurt.

It was _Rogue:_ apparently, the brunette had joined the blue-skinned boy and was now trying to keep the majority of her hair out of the way.

Lyra weakly rested her head against the rim of the toilet when she was done throwing up, still feeling sick to her stomach.

She had no clue as to what was going on since this had never happened to her before.

"Are you gonna be okay, Sugar?" Rogue asked stiffly; when Kurt finally crouched near the wall and began to keep watch over her, Lyra mustered enough strength to nod her head and slowly flushed the toilet. She tried to stand up, but she moved too quickly and fell forward, having no one but Rogue to catch her before she—

_It was dark again..._

_"Wake up, Lyra," Lucifer whispered wickedly. "Do as I tell you, and wake up!"_

_"My beautiful Gem," a different, much deeper voice hissed as the bloody eyes once again came into view, fangs glistening above her bare throat. Although she couldn't move, she could feel the monster's hot breath panting on the soft pearly-white skin of her neck. A set of jaws wrapped around her slender throat and—_

Lyralianna bolted upright a second time to find herself alone, yet just as terrified as before; this time she had managed not to wake anyone up. She wasn't as sick as the last time, but she had woken up in a cold sweat and her arm felt like it was being crushed. Shaking her head as she managed to calm her breathing, Lyra rubbed her arm and winced when she realized it hurt more to touch it. After inspecting her forearm, all she could do was stare at it with a shocked expression as her breathing began to pick up again: her arm was bruised to the point of being black, but the shape looked like a giant hand-print.

Golden eyes becoming huge as she let out a strangled sound of terror, her small hands flew to her neck and she felt around her throat.

She nearly passed out again: her skin was still warm and wet where the creature had been panting.

Lyra glanced at the clock before walking into the bathroom, flipping on the light as she did so. She looked at herself in the mirror, but all she really saw was a small, half-starved teenager with silver hair. Sighing, Lyra stripped down to nothing and turned on the hot water with the thought of a shower in mind. She knew she was the only one up at 3:30 in the morning, but after having two nightmares in a row, she was _not_ going back to sleep.

As she was washing, however, Lyra felt something strange along the sides of her neck. She thought it felt like teeth marks, like something had tried to bite her—but when the realization sank in, the small girl panicked and grabbed a towel off the rack before shutting off the water. As she stepped out of the shower and walked over to the mirror again, she wiped the condensation off of it so she could see her face. She froze in fear when she noticed one of her eyes was no longer gold and become crimson.

Before she could turn away, the mirror cracked right down the middle—splitting her face.

Lyra let out a sound similar to a dying cat as she stared in horror at the mirror: one side of her face looked normal, but the other was slowly changing into something else—something that wasn't her at _all._ The skin on her cheek darkened as spikes erupted from her wrist to her shoulders—each with a spurt of blood; she glanced at the part the part of her that looked familiar as the darker side of the mirror slowly began to feed upon it. Her own reflection closed her eyes and a tear slid down her cheek as a burning light engulfed her from the bottom up and nothing but a fiery hole replaced it—a hole that revealed hell on earth.

Lyra screamed and punched the glass as hard as she could; blood ran down her hand, over the cracked glass, and trickled down onto the floor.

Even as she watched with terror-stricken eyes, the blood from her body began to move and formed a message on the wall.

_The Gem was born of Evil's Fire. _  
_The Gem shall be his Portal. _  
_He comes to Claim, he comes to Sire _  
_The End of all things Mortal. _

_The Gem is tainted and thus is Damned. _  
_The Gem defied its Master. _  
_But an Angel's blood by a Demon's hand_  
_Shall save the Dark Disaster._

"No…" Lyra choked, feeling sick again when the terror began building up; her hands were starting to spark like crazy, but this time she didn't even notice because the other side of the glass shattered before she could lose control. However, more blood formed into another message as her powers dispersed.

_And the Gem will die._

"NOOOOO!" Lyra shrieked, collapsing on the floor and backing into a corner.

Her heart was racing a million miles a minute as she clutched her bleeding hand. She had never felt so terrified of anything before, not even her own powers—which, she realized after a moment, had somehow short-circuited and dissolved for the moment. Lyra had no clue what was happening to her, but she knew that something terrible was coming—and it was coming because of her. The girl stayed huddled in the corner of the bathroom with her head buried in her knees until Kurt found her there a few hours later. However, when the blue teenager saw the shattered mirror and the bloody message written on the wall, he blanched. Even after he'd treated her hand, she was too afraid to tell him what had happened—so she did what she was good at and kept her mouth shut.

He didn't ask any questions... and he kept the writing a secret.

**TXXXXXT**

Lyra let out a dejected sigh as she sat with her head planted on her hands, staring at the teacher while she droned about some sort of quantum physics conundrum. In truth, it had been nearly a week since Mr. Lehnsherr had come to visit her—but compared to all of the other days that had passed her in school life so far, this particular one had been utterly horrible. On top of being hit on constantly by a greasy brunette who could create earthquakes, people just wouldn't leave her the hell alone, and she had a sneaky suspicion that Quicksilver was the one behind everything going wrong in her life.

After all, the greasy guy had said that the two of them were 'destined lovers' thanks to her power over the earth.

It was exhausting for her mind—especially since she'd been waking up every night at three in the morning from her nightmares about the red-eyed demon and the prophecy about her future. Her thoughts couldn't seem to stay calm after the bloody mirror incident, and as a result she wasn't getting much sleep. To boot, she'd been constantly thinking about things and why she was even here. Lyra had to admit that the Professor had been trying his best to help her control her powers, but it hadn't been doing her much good.

"My head hurts," Lyra mewled, rubbing her eyes after her class had ended.

"Hey, trout lips!" Ram Hastings shouted, shoving past Lyra from behind and blocking her with his wide girth. "How'd you end up living here at the institute? I've been wondering that for a while now, so do ya think you could tell me?"

"Can't you guys leave me alone for an hour?" Lyra asked in a monotone as she tried to head up stairs. However, another one of Quicksilver's friends blocked her path and stared at her with deep purple eyes. "Move out of the way, please."

"Did they send you away and give you some stupid excuse?" the new kid asked, face stretching into a grotesquely wide grin when Lyra froze mid-step; he knew he'd pushed her buttons with that statement.

"Shut up," Lyra stated calmly, turning to look at the two of them with a tight expression.

"What's wrong, trout lips?" Ram laughed, massive belly rolling as he did so. "Toad, I'm starting to have fun with this one."

"I bet your parents were so afraid of you that they kicked you out of the house," the green kid laughed.

"Shut up!" Lyra hissed, mask shattering into a million pieces as rage surged into her throat.

Infuriated, the small girl tried to move past—but the they just blocked her path and laughed when she failed to get around them. However, when her hands began to spark, Toad turned a grisly shade of green and backed off instantly. Ram, however, simply stood there and taunted the girl until she hit him in his fat stomach with all of her strength—sending a bolt of electricity burning straight into his gut during the process. As he was thrown against the wall with a thunderous crash that shook the school's foundation, his much-too-small white shirt caught on fire and was instantly engulfed in it.

"Bitch!" he roared, hastily trying to put out his shirt; Toad instantly began to advance on Lyra—only to have a small but incredibly loud bolt of electricity surge from her body and tear a chunk out of the wall right next to his head, followed by another that shattered a window. Lyra couldn't stand it anymore, so she ran—not really caring where she was going, just running so she could get away from things again like she always had.

There was nothing she could do to change herself.

And to put it bluntly, she was tired of trying to.

She ran all the way to the train station: she wasn't going to stay at the Institute any longer, so she waited in line until she could get a ticket.

"One ticket for the next train out, please?" Lyra timidly asked the teller; she let out a sigh of relief when the woman obliged, handing her a ticket in exchange for the money she'd saved up. Lyra let out a sigh as she turned to look at her surroundings; there were so many people wandering around that it was hard to believe they were all going somewhere. Lyra watched as a young woman got up from a bench with her blonde daughter, walking toward a train that had just arrived.

However, her little girl had left her teddy bear behind without even realizing it.

"Ma'am," Lyra called, trying to get the woman's attention without any result. The silver-haired girl looked down at the little brown bear before glancing at the train they'd entered. Apparently, luck was on her side because it was also her train.

"Um, excuse me Ma'am?" Lyra peeped in a hesitant voice, biting her lip when the woman turned around.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"I think you forgot this," Lyra murmured, shyly holding out the bear. "You left this on the bench."

"Teddy!" the little girl cried, shooting out of her seat. Lyra grinned and knelt down in front of her, holding out the bear with a playful expression and laughing when the child happily snatched it away.

"Now, say thank you, Emma," the woman insisted.

"Thank you!" the little blonde girl exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the teenager in a hug.

However, Lyra froze upon feeling her small arms around her waist. A child was actually hugging her… and a complete stranger at that. Not noticing Lyra's shock, the child smiled at her and let go before hopping back up into her seat. Lyra nodded absently and made her way down the isle, moving until she was near the end of the train car. At the last seat, she slid in next to the window and closed her eyes—drawing her knees up to her chest and planting her chin on it.

Feeling bored with waiting, Lyra played with her hair and tied it into a half-up ponytail.

She jumped when she felt the seat shifting and pulled her hood up.

"This seat taken?" a familiar baritone asked in amusement.

"Logan, what are you doing here?" Lyra asked weakly, turning to stare at him through her bangs. "More importantly, why are you smiling at me like that? I didn't think you were capable of smiling at all, much less psychotically."

"When I smile like this, that's when you know I'm pissed," he explained with a dangerous look, pushing the hood of Lyra's jacket off her head with a growl. When she stared at the seat in front of her and didn't respond to him, the feral man sighed and decided to take a different approach. "Tell me, Squirt, why are ya runnin' away from us?"

"Because it's the only thing I'm good at," Lyra muttered, desperately trying to hide a grin at the nickname.

"Bullshit!" he snorted good-naturedly, tightly wrapping his arm around Lyra's neck and giving her a noogie. "Everyone's good at something at the end of the day! Personally, I like being a huge pain in Scott's ass."

"Yeah, and apparently mine, too," Lyra retorted, trying to muster a scowl with little result due to the smile that wanted to break through. "Seriously, though, my hair is off limits: no touching the silver without asking the governess first, got it?"

"Keep dreaming, squirt: I've never followed the rules and I'm not about to start," the big man chuckled, letting go and leaning back in his seat. "So, feel like going home? Or should we see where the train takes us and ride with the wind?"

"Let's go back," Lyra sighed, rolling her eyes as she slowly stood up.

"Good, because I don't feel like dragging your skinny little ass all the way back," Logan stated, giving her a devilish grin.

"Hey!" Lyra huffed, shoving him towards the door without him caring. "Watch your manners, caveman!"

"Feh, what's life without any fun?" he asked, flashing the small girl a mischievous grin. "Personally, I think living like a man with no decency is much better than living like an uptight little silver-haired Barbie doll. Am I right, little girl?"

"Oho, now you've done it!" Lyra scoffed, chasing him off the train as he laughed uproariously; the chase lasted for several minutes, but eventually Logan grew tired of having her smacking his back and forcibly stopped her from moving around.

"You ready to go, kid? Or do you wanna keep smacking at the air?" Logan asked, holding her off the ground by the back of her shirt as she futilely tried to kick and hit his body with no results. After a moment, the small girl groaned in defeat and went limp with a dejected expression; then she gave the bearded man a fierce scowl that didn't exactly match up to her height.

"Fine, just put me down!" Lyra shouted, throwing her skinny little arms around in a temper tantrum. However, she let out a startled squeak when he unexpectedly dropped her on the ground with a painful thud; Lyra slowly stood up and rubbed her backside before she glared at him again—receiving only an innocent grin in return. "Okay, you're officially an ass."

"Yup, I am, now put this on," he ordered, pushing a helmet into Lyra's hands. "You're gonna need it."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Lyra whispered, eyes widening with fright. "You rode here on a motorcycle?!"

"Not scared, are ya?" he laughed, throwing his leg over the seat and mounting it; he started up the engine and glanced at Lyra out of the corner of his eye, noticing the way she paled with a huge smirk. However, the small girl scowled after a moment and roughly shoved the helmet on her head, fluffing her hair out and straightening it once it was tightly fastened.

"You wish," Lyra muttered, getting on behind him; however, the girl tensed when she caught sight of his evil smirk—and she nearly died when he revved the engine mockingly. "Jesus, you're such a show off! That's not even necessary!"

"I suggest you hold on," he chuckled, before taking off with a jolt that snapped her head back. The very second that the motorcycle was in motion, Lyra's arms were wrapped so tightly around Logan's waist she was afraid they'd break. He was speeding down the road at nearly two hundred miles per hour on a freaking motorbike, and if Lyra's fears of crashing weren't bad enough, when they were about halfway back to the school she heard a loud roar that sent tingles down her spine. The sound of a tree being unearthed soon followed—and before she knew it, a log was crashing down in front of them.

"Hang on!" Logan yelled, but it did little good seeing how the bike flipped and Lyra went flying.

In that moment, the girl was so thankful for helmets that she could have cried: her head was the first thing to hit the ground. The pavement sent a shock jolting through her neck, but then she was rolling and the world was spinning out of control. She could see strands of her long hair through the cracking visor each time she made a revolution, but she couldn't even tell which way was up when she finally came to a stop; then she saw strands of her bloody silver hair through the helmet and vaguely deduced that she was staring at the ground. Somehow, she was still alive despite the fact that her entire body was battered badly.

"Hey, kid! Are you alright?" Logan cried, but Lyra couldn't answer: she didn't know if anything was broken or not, but two things she did know was that her head was throbbing and she couldn't talk very well. Although, the second problem had been one of her common traits...

"Hey, can you hear me?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her and flipping the visor up. She could see his unfocused face as he stared with guilt written all over his face—but suddenly he stiffened in alarm and roared, "Sabertooth!"

"Such a weak frail," another man's voice growled, seeming to be circling around Lyra's ears. She couldn't really see him as she lay there, trying to will away the blurriness of her eyes—but from what she could tell, he was an extremely large man with a long mane of hair that rolled past his shoulders.

Also, some kind of animal pelt was wrapped around his shoulders.

"Your fight's with me! Leave her out of this," Logan growled, trying to block Lyra from the beast's view by standing in front of her; it did him little good since the man continued circling around them and drew ever closer to Lyra.

"So weak," Sabertooth breathed, kicking dirt and rocks up in the small girl's face; Lyra let out a mewl as she tried to move, but doing so only caused pain to rocket through her spine. She watched with hazed golden eyes as the man crouched down on all fours like an animal, looking ready to pounce on her at any given moment. To say that she was frightened would have been a severe understatement: she was like a bird with a broken wing while he, the cunning cat, waited to catch her in his paws.

"I wanna go home," Lyra whispered quietly, trying to keep her eyes open.

"Kid, don't you dare pass out on me," Logan shouted, trying to get her attention while he glared at Sabertooth. Lyra didn't really hear him, though, because the beast's red eyes remained locked on her golden ones—entrancing her as saliva dripped from his disgusting yellow fangs. She barely caught the gleam in the man's crimson eyes, but her unsteady breathing gave away her weakness and vulnerability. She was terrified of him, and he knew it.

No, he loved it.

"I want to go home," Lyra whined, unable to keep her eyes open any longer.

"Lyralianna, wake up!" Logan shouted, pulling her eyes back open a bit.

"Why don't we play a little game of cat and mouse?" Sabertooth suggested, crimson eyes traveling from Logan's face then back down to Lyra's; the girl's large eyes widened into awareness when he lunged forward, barreling straight into Logan and knocking him off his feet. She could do nothing but lay there as her friend was thrown into a tree seven yards away.

"Hello, frail," he purred, coming to hover over the girl.

He gazed down at Lyra with a murderous look in his eyes, scaring the crap out of her and making her eyes widen to the size of saucers: the girl squeaked when he carelessly tried to pick her up, grabbing a hold of her slender forearm and lifting her body like a rag doll. As usual, the terror ignited her powers and an electrical shock zapped him within moments. Sabertooth dropped Lyra back onto the ground with a murderous cry, roaring when his entire arm was set aflame. The girl watched in terror as his skin grew back like Logan's, repairing and healing itself. Then, out of rage, he picked her up by the throat and threw her across the street.

The helmet flew off when she landed, but her body rolled six times before coming limply to a stop; she could feel tears of pain falling from her eyes as she lay there, twisted uncomfortably from how she'd landed. Slowly struggling to crawl to all fours, Lyra watched with dazed eyes as the giant slowly made his way over to where Logan was lying—cracking his neck and knuckles as he got closer.

She couldn't let him hurt someone she cared about.

_Please… for once in my life… work when I need you,_ Lyra prayed inside her mind, reluctantly pulling her hands up and gazing in Sabertooth's direction as her hair slid over her shoulders. The girl drew in a shaky breath, willing her powers to work as tears slowly fell from her eyes: with an angry shriek that left listening ears ringing, she squeezed her eyes shut and snapped them open again as a glowing blue light engulfed her form. Eyes shining, the angel lifted her hands as high as she could and focused all of the growing electricity into her hands. As the vortex of power engulfed her body and her long silver locks went flying towards the sky, the small angel slammed both palms straight into the ground with an angry shriek.

The earth erupted with blue light and roared ahead in a perfectly-aimed line, singular explosions of blinding electricity and white fire tearing up the concrete from underneath. When the fiery trail separated Logan and Sabertooth, the girl twisted her arms like a dancer and sent the flames flying straight into the beast's face, making him howl in pain and rage. Logan slowly got to his feet and began backing away toward Lyra as the fire intensified, watching as Sabertooth stood there and fought at the flames. After a moment, however, the blinding blue glow around the girl's body abruptly vanished and her hair cascaded back down around her shoulders with a jolt.

Looking startled, Lyra slumped backwards and collapsed on the pavement.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, covering her body as a large explosion went off and sent debris everywhere. Lyra's lungs were heavy and tired, her body was sore and bruised, her skull was pounding, and she couldn't move anymore. Her arm finally fell flat on the ground as her golden eyes fluttered closed: she had reached her limit and was completely drained. There was nothing she could do… nothing but let the darkness take over.

"Daddy, help me," she whined, body going limp as the sky went dark.


	8. Chapter 7: The Wonder of Magnetism

**Chapter Seven: The Wonder of Magnetism**

The following day, everyone was assembled in the Professor's office: Logan, Scott, Storm, Hank, and—oddly enough—Kurt Wagner, who looked utterly confused as to why he'd been taken out of class at the Professor's request. Everyone seemed to be a little confused, actually, since this was the first time in several months that they had all been called to attention for a meeting. Life had been so peaceful that it was kind of hard to explain.

"Due to recent events, I've decided to place a word of caution on everyone here," Charles explained, pausing for a moment to look around the room. "Magneto is likely planning on getting Lyralianna to join him. I believe that's why Sabertooth was sent out yesterday: it was an attempt to grab her from our hands. The girl is very afraid and vulnerable at the moment, both physically _and_ mentally… one wrong move could make her run away again. We need to give her a reason to stay, to make her feel _safe_ and realize that she has a _home_ here. We need to make her feel like she's family because—regardless of the situation at hand or what people believe about her—she has _indeed_ become an X-Man."

"Professor, how are ve to do this?" Kurt suddenly asked, tail flicking worriedly as he scratched his head in confusion. "I agree zat she must feel comfortable here vith all of us, but how are ve supposed to do zis on our own? How are all of us supposed to make her feel safe?"

_"We're_ not, Kurt; _you_ are," Charles said, making the blue-skinned teenager's yellow eyes go wide.

"Vas?!" Kurt squeaked, ears sticking straight up as he blinked three times in startled shock. "Vhy must _I_ be ze one to figure zis problem out?!"

"Professor, I kind of agree that this is fairly strange… actually, it's even little _extreme,"_ Storm murmured in amazement, glancing at the blue-skinned boy when he sank into his chair and stared at the man with a look of wary alarm: he had an unsettling expression of fear on his face that nobody was used to seeing, and it made everyone nervous. "If I might ask, what's your reasoning for having Kurt deal with the situation by himself? He's a only teenager and on top of that, he's a _student_. Why would you have the young folk handle a situation that the adults should clearly be maintaining?"

"I'm glad you asked that question, Storm," Charles stated, looking at the woman with an intense glint in his deep blue eyes. "Whether he realizes it or not, Kurt's growing feelings for Lyra has caused him to develop a new power: the ability to channel her uncontrollable energy through skin-to-skin contact without being harmed by it. I suspect it's because neither of them are legitimate mutants, but it could be _more_ than just that—after all, Lyra is an angel while Kurt is her total opposite, a demon. In ancient history, those two races managed to adapt in combat in order to gain the upper hand in a life-or-death fight. This situation is different, but since the moment their energies came in contact, Kurt has been adapting to Lyra's power... and since the two of them are friends instead of enemies like in ancient times, it shouldn't be too hard for the boy to explain this fact to Lyra—but for _her_ sake, we must do this."

"But why's it gotta be the Elf, of all people?" Logan groaned; Scott glared at him when Kurt sank even further into the chair and stared at his three-fingered hands with a rather disturbed expression on his face.

"Logan, Lyralianna is a girl who's been severely abused and she needs something familiar in her life—someone who can understand the pain of what she's going through, and more importantly, the type of abilities," Charles patiently explained. "Kurt's heritage, lifestyle, and—most importantly—his powers are now more similar to hers than anyone else's at the academy. She needs that type of familiarity to put her at ease."

"Whatever," Logan grunted, getting up and walking out of the room.

"Hank… if you, Scott, and Storm wouldn't mind checking in on Lyra, I'd like to have a word with Kurt," the professor stated once Logan was gone, hinting faintly on the privacy. The four of them nodded and left the room while Kurt continued to stare at his three-fingered hands in dumbstruck curiosity, wondering how he'd developed such a new and startling ability.

**TXXXXXT**

The next morning, Kurt was rudely awakened by the sound of banging of pots and pans outside his door. The cacophony was so loud that it startled him, making him hit his head on the headboard of the bed when he bolted upright; dazed by sleep, alarm, and pain, he teleported onto his dresser and crouched there before rubbing his glowing yellow eyes and flicking his tail in annoyance.

"It is too early for zis," he groaned, scratching behind his pointy ears with a catlike yawn. However, the banging only stopped when Kurt leapt down to the floor and opened his door. However, he drew back with a hiss when Logan shone a flashlight straight into the face—blinding him for a moment before he remembered to shield his eyes.

"Rise and shine, Elf," Logan greeted stiffly.

"Can I at least get dressed? I am still in my undergarments," Kurt grumbled sleepily, letting out another catlike yawn. Logan looked at the blue boy for a moment and snorted in amusement when he realized the teenager was wearing only a pair of black boxers. His shoulder-length mane was also nothing but a blue hay-stack that stuck out in every direction—and the sight nearly made him laugh aloud.

"Just don't take too long primping," he chuckled, leaving Kurt to his normal morning routine.

The Nightcrawler made good on his time as he put on his favorite beige button-up t-shirt and slipped on a weathered pair of jeans. After a moment, he looked in the mirror as he fixed the collar and straightened the sleeve but then sighed upon combing out his messy blue hair. Fully dressed, he put his sandals on and left his room: he figured that he wouldn't need his coat, so he left it lying on the chair by the desk. When Kurt got downstairs to the cafeteria, he found Logan sitting in the corner with Lyra.

They were talking, but barely, and as he got closer he noticed that she didn't look healthy: Lyra had bandages wrapped around her head, her left hand, and her entire right arm. The shiny silver hair he'd come to recognize was a bit matted in the back, and she looked much more pale than usual—but other than that, she was beautiful as always. However, he soon noticed that her golden eyes were shimmering like molten gems from where he was standing.

"Kurt," a voice called from his right, and after turning around he found the Professor beside him. "I'm glad to see that you're finally up and awake. I was afraid you might miss lunch if you slept in any longer, but you made it just in time."

"Lunch?" Kurt asked, brows furrowing in confusion. "Vas it not breakfast time?"

"No, it's almost one in the afternoon. Spent the whole night talking, huh?" Charles asked, smirking in obvious amusement when the blue teenager scowled and glared dagger's at Logan's head. The two of them stopped the conversation when they noticed Scott walking up to Lyra and saying something with a smirk on his face. However, whatever he'd said to her must have been insulting because the girl's head instantly snapped up: she stared at him for a long moment with hostile yellow eyes before pushing her untouched tray of food away and getting up without a word. Not looking at him, she stormed out of the cafeteria with her silver hair and black school skirt flying; Logan looked like he was going to punch the guy in the nose.

"She's only been awake for two hours and he's already ruined her entire day with that statement," the Professor sighed, shaking his head in dismay.

That was all Kurt needed to hear: he instantly walked off in the direction that Lyra had gone, and—with a sigh—he swiped an apple from someone's tray with his tail as he left.

**TXXXXXT**

"Stupid Scott!" Lyra snapped, kicking small pebbles with her feet and mimicking his condescending voice. "'_So, I hear you finally decided to get yourself under control? Well, try not to blow anything else up, and while you're at it, work on your studies a bit harder when you're in my class!_' What an ass! I just woke up after getting into a motorcycle accident and he's already on my case! I mean, can't anyone ever give me a break? I'm starting to wonder whether or not I should have stayed on the train and gotten away from this place. I could have been long gone by now! Stupid Scott! I hate him!"

After she'd finished ranting, Lyra sighed and leaned against one of the walls before sliding down it with a weary sigh. It hurt even as she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head in her arms. She sat there for a several minutes and listened, feeling oddly alone: everything around her was quiet, save for the chirping of the birds. When she brought her head up a bit, however, she noticed an apple sitting on the grass in front of her.

Blinking in confusion, Lyra curiously picked up the fruit.

"Where did this come from?" she wondered aloud, shaking her head with a frown.

"Hello, Lyra," a familiar voice exclaimed, making the small girl jump and knock her head painfully into the wall.

"Ouch!" Lyra squeaked, dropping the apple and curling up into a ball as she held her head. "You _really_ need to stop doing that!"

"Sorry… I did not mean to startle you," Kurt sighed, thick German accent becoming thicker as he took on an apologetic countenance; Lyra finally looked up to see the teenager sitting above her on the ledge, three-toed blue feet dangling down near her head.

"What do you want, Kurt?" Lyra asked wearily, gazing up at him from her spot on the ground. She had to admit that he was handsome today with those flashy clothes on, but still… what really caught her attention were his eyes: they were glittering even more so than usual, and his tail was flicking back and forth as though he were a majorly happy kitty cat. It was cute.

"You seemed lonely," Kurt explained with an impish grin. "No one should be alone on such a nice day."

Lyra instantly looked away and brushed her fingers over the apple on the ground.

"I'm always alone," she murmured dejectedly. "You know that already."

"That's vhy I vill fix that," Kurt countered, flashing the girl a mischievous grin and revealing his sharp fangs.

"People always leave me after a while, though," Lyra muttered irritably. "It doesn't matter what I do or how much they like me: something will happen and they will either be taken out of my life by force... or they'll leave me on their own. That's why I refuse to get too close to anyone: they can't hurt me if I don't let them in."

That said, she slowly stood up from her spot on the ground with the intention of leaving; she soon found out that doing so was a big mistake, though, because the moment Lyra stood up she became horribly dizzy. When she stumbled and nearly fell over, Kurt teleported next to her in a cloud of smoke and gripped her shoulders, purposely keeping the small girl steady.

"Maybe you should zit back down," he encouraged, guiding her back down to the ground where he sat down. Lyra's stomach suddenly growled and her pale face rapidly turned crimson; the girl looked away from Kurt in extreme embarrassment when it happened again, and her face went from crimson to a dark maroon. The blue-skinned boy only grinned and pulled the apple out of nowhere with his tail, along with a penknife out of his back pocket. They sat there for a while after he sliced the fruit into sections, not really doing much at all to put it frankly. Lyra nibbled on the slices of apple that Kurt gave her until he finally decided to poof inside and sneak out some sandwiches. The girl laughed insider at the goofy look on his face upon triumphantly returning with the food, but she managed to keep her face free of expression.

Sometimes he could be so cute that it was criminal: he was the only person who made her need to fight back a _positive_ emotion.

"Can I ask you something?" Lyra asked after a while, hooking a silver strand of hair behind her ear.

"Vas?" the blue boy asked, munching on his sandwich.

"Why are you being so nice to me today?" she quipped, giving him a suspicious glance.

"Vhy don't I show you?" he proposed, swallowing the remainder of his meal and giving her a grin.

Feeling curious, Lyra nodded her head, but flinched when he unexpectedly jumped up: her golden eyes immediately went to his as a fit of strong uneasiness set in. When he glanced down at her face and frowned, Lyra looked down at her hands—feeling her emotions growing stronger, which in turn made her palms become hot with electrical power. The energy soon spread to her fingers, which began sparking uncontrollably.

Soon they were glowing bright blue.

"Why is this happening to me?" she whined, eyes widening in alarm. "I'm not doing anything!"

"Careful, Lyra, zat is dangerous," Kurt laughed mockingly, grabbing her hands and pulling her to her feet. Lyralianna let out a squeak of alarm and instantly tried to pull away from him; Kurt was the one person she never wanted to hurt, and now he was pretty much forcing her to hurt him by accident. When she tried to pull away again, he only held onto her hands more firmly.

"L-let go of me!" Lyra squeaked, eyes becoming frantic. "I don't have control right now!"

"Do not vorry," Kurt murmured soothingly. "You cannot hurt me vith your powers any longer, Lyra! Ze professor himself said zat I have developed a razher new ability zat counteracts your own, almost like ze power of a magnet."

So saying, he took a proper hold of Lyra's hands—and in that moment, her powers didn't do a thing except seep out of her body and melt into his, harmlessly balancing the flow of energy. The girl felt a strange sense of ease sweep throughout her body.

"What just happened?" Lyra whispered, eyes slowly widening as a feeling of shock washed over her. "My powers... they... they totally fizzled out!"

The moment he let go, however, Lyra touched the ground without thinking and an explosion—caused by the electrical discharge pouring into the earth—sent her flying straight into Kurt's stomach. He caught her with a grunt, but both of them went crashing to the ground in a rather ungraceful heap. Lyra groaned in pain as she lay there on his stomach, but the world started spinning dizzily as she clutched her throbbing head. She had turned into a total klutz around him… which wasn't a good thing.

At all.

"Are you alvight?" Kurt asked hoarsely, poking her in the shoulder with his tail. "Zat vas not a pleasant landing."

"My head hurts," Lyra whined into his shirt; she noticed with a jolt that it smelled good, and her face burned bright red with embarrassed mortification.

"Vould it be better if ve vent inside?" he asked, but she instantly shook my head.

"I don't' wanna go back in there," Lyra told him, frantically rolling off of his chest and sitting up painfully as her back popped in protest. She wanted to stay away from everyone else right now—Kurt being the only exception at the moment. He sat up looked at her for a moment, yellow eyes glittering and tail flicking back and forth... but then he stood up with a sigh and cracked his neck with an unhappy grimace.

"I vill be vight back," he murmured, disappearing in a cloud of blue smoke.

"He probably won't come back," Lyra sighed, golden eyes saddening once he was gone; the small girl rubbed her head and lay down on the grass with a mewl—closing her eyes in shame as they filled with tears again.

"Hey! Silverlocks! I heard they dragged you back in pieces yesterday after you tried to ditch us! When you nearly got squashed like a bug, you finally decided to get your act together, right?" someone laughed loudly, seeming to be much too close. "I had a feeling you would turn out to be a coward."

Lyra's eyes shot open wide: Quicksilver was standing above her with a taunting sneer on his handsome face.

"Just leave me alone already, you stupid Jerk!" Lyra squealed, bolting upright and scooting away from him—back still throbbing and searing with a pain that she was starting to believe would never go away. He just kept coming closer until he was standing in front of her again, taking his foot and pushing it harshly against her injured arm. Lyra locked her jaw with a strangled sound—trying to hold back a hysterical shriek of pain. He caught the rigid expression of pain on her face and kicked her flat on her back with a taunting laugh; needless to say, this time she couldn't hold back the scream.

"If I had to guess, you still don't have any control," Quicksilver snickered, sneering as he put an unbearable mount of pressure on her small stomach with his foot. Lyra let out a squeak when the pressure of his foot began to crush her ribs and press her back into the ground. However, when the boy was unexpectedly pulled away and thrown to the ground, Lyra's golden eyes slowly traveled up to find Kurt standing above her with an animalistic snarl on his face. His tail was flicking back and forth like a wildcat ready to pounce, his muscles were tense, and he was bearing his fangs at the pale boy.

"You vhill never do zhat again," he hissed at the albino, pupils contracting into catlike slits as he glared at the boy.

Quicksilver glared at the blue teenager before getting up and spitting at the small girl—who flinched. That pissed Kurt off so badly that he teleported behind Quicksilver and spun around in a flash, sending his sandal-clad foot straight into the albino's back and making him fly onto all fours. Then the demon leapt on his back and started punching him as hard as he could in the temples, although it looked sort of awkward since Kurt typically only fought people when it was necessary.

"Fuck, get off of me! That hurt like hell! Who do you think you are, Wagner?" Quicksilver snapped, glaring at Kurt when the boy leapt back. "You're an idiot to even think about attacking me! When did your little chicken act disappear, huh?"

"The moment you hurt my Liebchen," Nightcrawler hissed, blue hands beginning to glow with red light and spark with crackling crimson electricity—making Lyra's yellow eyes pop open wide in surprise. He crouched with a flick of his tail, looking ready to teleport behind the pale teenager and zap him at any moment—but the albino boy quickly got up and fled using his super speed, not really wanting to get hit with a bolt of lightning at close quarters. Lyra simply lay where she was once he was gone, looking up at Kurt with stunned yellow eyes. The boy was reluctant in standing up straight and lowering his arms, but he finally took back the charge the way the professor had taught him and folded his arms across his chest.

"You alvight?" he asked, kneeling down beside Lyra.

"I hurt," the small girl whined, groaning when he pulled her into a sitting position with his tail; she clutched her stomach with a grimace, leaning forward a bit as pain seared through it. Lyra glanced at Kurt when he held out his three-fingered hand.

"Come on, I vill take you somewhere nice," he sighed, giving her that adorable impish smile. Lyra looked at him for a long moment before she sighed and allowed herself to take his hand. However, she bit her lower lip and burned crimson when he unexpectedly pulled her off her feet and into his arms—bridal style. She hadn't been expecting it, and when she clamped her arms around his neck and let out a small squeak of alarm, he chuckled at her and grinned again.

"Where are we going?" she asked, not even a second before a poof filled her ears; however, the girl went bug eyed when she saw that they were suddenly in the garage and heading over to the motorcycles. "Uh, Kurt…?"

"Vhat, Liebchen?" he quipped, looking down at her curiously.

"Um… we're not going to ride on one of those, are we?" she asked, feeling a bit shaken up.

"You do not like zhem much?" he asked, lifting a curious blue eyebrow; the girl instantly shook her head, not wanting to ride on one of them after what had happened just the other day. He seemed to think for a moment before grinning impishly and turning to look at the assortment of cars. His eyes spotted a nice red car, one that just so happened to belong to Scott.

"K-Kurt?" Lyra asked warily.

"Vhat, Liebchen?" he asked, glittering yellow eyes glued to the shiny, well-waxed vehicle.

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" Lyra whined.

"Vhat would zat be?" he asked innocently, walking over to the car with her still resting in his strong arms.

**TXXXXXT**

"KYAAAA! Slow down!" Lyra shrieked, clutching at the seats with a terrified expression as they zipped down the highway at almost three hundred miles per hour. "If you wreck this car, Scott will _kill_ you—and that's _only_ if we _live!"_

"He deserves it after vhat he did to you zis afternoon," Kurt countered, keeping his glittering yellow eyes on the road.

"You saw that?" Lyra asked, feeling a little sad and embarrassed.

"Yes, Liebchen," the teenager admitted, giving her a lopsided grin that made her heart flop. Somehow, whenever he showed her that giddy smile, Lyra felt amazed that someone could notice her enough to smile like that.

"I see," Lyra murmured, shaking her silver hair out of her eyes.

"Don't vorry, I vill take care of you," he assured, patting her leg lightly with his three-fingered hand.

This kind of treatment was new for Lyra, so she really didn't know how to react: therefore, she just sat there in her seat and looked at the scenery surrounding them, all the while praying that the safety belt would keep her in place if they crashed. Her thigh-length hair was flipping around all over the place since there was no top on the car, but eventually it became so annoying that she braided it back; after she'd tied up her hair, Lyra glanced over at Kurt to see his wild blue hair flying around as well.

Judging by the huge grin on his face, he was definitely having a good time.

"Hey, Kurt," Lyra murmured, timidly poking his shoulder. "Thanks for taking me somewhere today."

"You're velcome!" he happily replied, letting out an exuberant chuckle. "I have a very curious question, zhough… vhy do you like to call me Kurt vhen everyone else just calls me ze Nightcrawler? You're ze only person who does zhat, so I find it very confusing."

"Well, I like your name," Lyra murmured, giving him a rare smile before gazing back out at the land.

"You are somezhing else," he laughed, taking a turn and pulling into a vacant parking lot. Lyra looked around when Nightcrawler pulled into a parking spot and turned off the ignition: they were in the park that was located about seven miles away from the school, but it was far enough that she wouldn't have to deal with anyone.

"Why the park?" Lyra asked curiously.

"Because it is quiet here… is zat not vhat you wanted?" the blue boy asked, turning to look at her with a questioning expression on his face; Lyra hesitantly nodded even though she hadn't really been expecting this from him. She didn't wait for him to get out of the car before getting out herself and walking off in a random direction.

"Ach Gott! Lyralianna, vait for me! Stop!" he shouted, clumsily getting out of the car and running after her with a wide-eyed expression. Lyra sighed and came to a halt before she turned to look at the blue-skinned boy, waiting and allowing him to catch up with her. However, she frowned when she saw how far away he was. After a second, he appeared next to her with a poof—but now he was panting a bit and had to plant his hands on his knees.

"Gott!" he breathed, looking up at the girl with wide eyes. "You are very, very fast."

"No, I'm not," Lyra replied with a confused expression. "I was walking just like I usually do."

"Frauline, look at vhere you're standing!" he exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his three-fingered hands; when the small girl did as he said and noticed that she was nearly twelve miles away from the car, she nearly fell down in shock.

"W-what… what's happening to me?!" she whispered shakily, golden eyes becoming round. She slowly put a hand to her head and turned around in a circle, taking in the scenery around her as a few tears began streaming down her face. After a moment, her legs went numb and she fell weakly on her backside. "This isn't normal, Kurt, even for me! I was walking, not running—and even if I had been running it should have taken at least thirty minutes for me to get this far, not ten seconds!"

Kurt sighed and sat down beside her, wrapping his tail around her shoulders in a comforting way.

"Shh," he soothed, trying to comfort the girl when she burst into tears. "It vill be all right, Liebchen."

"Why can't I just be normal?" Lyra choked out, burying her head in her knees and letting the tears soak into the dark fabric of her school skirt. "Professor Charles said I'm one of a kind, but I don't even have the security of being a m-mutant like everyone else at the school! I'm not a human and I'm not a mutant, so I'm c-completely alone!"

"Zat's not true, Lyra," Kurt replied in a somber voice, pointed ears drooping slightly. "You are not alone vith that feeling because I vas not born as a human either. I vas born like zis, a demon vith an ugly body and dark blue skin zhat people fear."

"You're not ugly," Lyra instantly mumbled, not lifting her head. "The last thing you could ever be is ugly."

"Danke," Kurt sighed, withdrawing his tail from around her shoulders and drawing his knees up to his chest. Lyra, however, could feel her hands tingling and looked down at them: they were glowing and her fingertips were sparking.

"K-Kurt, um…" she choked out, looking down at her hands as her eyes went round. His yellow eyes followed her timid gaze before landing on them as well. He grabbed Lyra's hand with his left one and held it in place as the red glow appeared once again. Lyra watched as the blue and red colors meshed, and she instantly felt her uncontrolled power surging into him. She kept her body motionless until the electricity vanished and her power was no longer brimming to the edge.

"See?" he chuckled, gently letting go of Lyra's hand. "I promised I vould take care of you."

"How do you do that?" Lyra asked warily. "It's like your powers are the opposite of mine, but it somehow feels the same."

"I do not know, " Kurt murmured skeptically, tail flicking behind him. "I vas not even aware I could do more zhan teleport until I met you, so I myself zhink it is a very odd skill indeed. Anyvay, vould you like to go for a valk?"

"Okay," Lyra murmured with a nod of her head, and he instantly used his tail to help her stand up.

They walked around for a while, talking a little bit but mainly just walking side-by-side and enjoying one another's company. Lyralianna asked him a question every now and then, but once he answered it he would ask her something; then she would do the same. However, when Kurt asked Lyra about her family, the small girl halted mid-step as her eyes went blank. After a moment, she turned her head away and continued walking with a tight expression on her face, obviously not wanting to talk.

"Vhat is wrong?" Kurt asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion once again.

"I don't want talk about it," Lyra whispered, walking ahead a bit further than him. They two of them had walked through the whole park, and now she could see the car in her line of sight. Wanting to get away from the conversation, Lyra ran toward it and hurdled the side, landing right in her seat. The girl ignored him when he leaned over the side of the car, hiding her face in her arms when he gently poked her shoulder with his tail.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, sounding guilty and making her feel bad.

"Let's just get going," Lyra sighed, lifting her head up to glance at him; the moment he saw the look in the girl's golden eyes, he shivered a bit in alarm and got in the car without saying another word. Kurt knew for a fact that nobody with a brain could stand there and refuse to comply when a girl was looking at them with such a terrible expression of pain.

"You know vhat?" Kurt suddenly exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood. "I saw ze weirdest thing ze other day."

"Just drive, please?" Lyra asked quietly, feeling awful when he pulled out of the parking spot. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"It is alvight," Kurt said worriedly, glancing at the girl every now and then. "I understand zat I shouldn't have asked."

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, fighting back tears when he gave her a weak smile.

"Do not vorry about apologizing," the blue teenager reassured her.

"If I tell you part of it, can we get back quicker?" Lyra asked timidly. "I don't feel well and I just want to lie down."

"Of course!" Kurt exclaimed, leaping for any chance to help. "I can do zat easily!"

"Well, okay then… I don't want to say much right now, but… um…" Lyra trailed off and turned away with a hitch in her throat when the memories of several terrified faces flashed through her mind. "I don't really… have a family anymore."

"Vhy not?" the demon asked slowly, three-fingered hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"B-because… everyone I've ever loved has died because of me, including them," Lyra choked out, burying her face in her hands as she tried not to cry again. "It's not your fault for asking about it… but you're the first person I've ever told."

"You have never told anyone about zis before me?" Kurt asked in amazement, and a smile of delight spread across his face when she shook her head. Without warning, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and the car jerked forward so quickly that they were given whiplash; soon they flying down the road so fast that Lyra's hair was blown out of its braid.

"Slow down!" Lyra shrieked, holding onto the seat for dear life even though her safety belt was buckled. However, he just laughed again and continued speeding down the road. When they got back to the Garage, Lyra fell out of the car and nearly puked all over the concrete. After a few minutes of dry heaving, the girl looked up through spinning eyes and noticed Scott walking into the garage. The girl instantly staggered to her feet and dizzily sprinted over, shoving him as hard as she could.

"Never—and I mean _never—leave_ your car where Kurt Wagner can see it again!" Lyra shrieked, pointing straight at the Nightcrawler—who had fallen to the ground and was rolling around in a fit of laughter, very much like a little boy who'd just seen Santa Claus fall off the roof of his house. Scott just raised an eyebrow before he glanced at the blue boy—who was still rolling around like a laughing hyena. Lyra's eyes went suddenly wide and she covered her mouth as a hiccuping sound escaped her lips, but before Scott could say anything she turned and bolted out of the garage.

"Hey, vhat's wrong?" Kurt asked the man once he'd gotten his breath back. Scott glared at the elfish teenager as he slowly climbed to his feet, already feeling vexed with Logan for deciding he wanted to use his motorcycle without permission.

"You hot-wired the convertible, didn't you?" Scott demanded, glaring at the approaching blue teenager. "That's a little extreme for you, Kurt, and not in a good way. I mean, you rarely ever break the school rules, much less the _law."_

"I couldn't find ze keys, so I had no ozher choice. I could not teleport to ze park vithout seeing it," the demon explained with a simple-minded blink, glancing at Lyra with a grin when she stumbled back over holding her stomach. Scott's hands balled into fists when the small girl purposely stumbled against Kurt's chest and clung to his shirt with a sick expression.

"You let him do it, too, didn't you?" Scott snapped at the girl. "You let him take my car."

"Okay, what you need to do it get your priorities straight and stick to them like a sane human being," Lyra croaked before she covered her mouth and dry-heaved. "First of all, there is a teenage girl standing right in front of you and she's obviously trying not to puke her guts out; you're being an ass by bitching at her for something she couldn't control. Second of all, Logan is right when he says you're a dick, because you obviously don't care about anyone but yourself. Third, I think I'm going to stick with Logan before I ever let Kurt drive me someplace again. Ever."

After Lyra had choked the words out, she covered her mouth again and heaved for the twentieth time.

Dizzily pushing off of Kurt's chest, the girl wiped her mouth on her sleeve and staggered inside. She felt so sick to her stomach right then that she wanted to knock herself unconscious. Even though riding with Logan on a motorcycle scared the crap out of her, she knew for a fact that she was definitely going to stick with him the next time she decided to go anywhere. Thinking of Logan, she was mildly surprised when she looked up and saw him coming down the hall. Lyra instantly let out a whine and ran forward until she could tackle the gruff man and hug him tightly. He seemed thoroughly surprised by the unexpected action, but he hugged her back nonetheless.

Even if it _was_ a tad bit awkward.

He wasn't used to people coming near him, let alone hugging him.

"Logan, please never let Kurt drive another car, ever!" Lyra pleaded, looking to be on the verge of tears; he gave her a strange look when her stomach convulsed and she hiccuped again, face turning green. "Ugh, I think I'm gonna throw up again…"

"What'd you say the Elf did?" he asked, blinking at her in disbelief. "He's not even old enough for a driver's license yet."

"Well, then let's just say that I've already puked my guts up about three times so far," Lyra weakly retorted, feeling sick from just thinking about it. He growled like a vexed dog upon hearing this, but the girl grabbed his sleeve with two fingers before he could walk off and do something horrible to Kurt for being the typical ignoramus that he was. "Just, um… can you come with me to the kitchen, please? I need something to get this God-awful taste out of my mouth, and I don't want to be alone right now."

Her depressed tone seemed to grab his attention, so he nodded and threw his arm over her shoulders.

"Alright, Squirt," he rumbled, deep voice vibrating the small girl's ear. "I think I can do that."

"Oh, yeah," Lyra murmured tiredly. "I forgot to say this a minute ago, but you were right."

"About what?" Logan asked, brows furrowing in confusion.

"Scott's a total dick," Lyra mumbled, but she jumped in alarm when he roared with laughter.


	9. Chapter 8: Star-Crossed

**Chapter Eight: Star-crossed**

The next couple of days flew by quickly, but during that time Lyralianna spent most of her time with Logan and Kurt.

To make matters interesting, though, Lyra got to see Logan and Scott go at it once, but it was only for a couple of minutes and it was just a way to blow off some steam. It was interesting to watch, but Pyro—of all people—broke it up before anything serious could happen. Now, however, all of them were outside and waiting to watch a good sparing match: Kurt, Logan, Scott, and Lyra were all in an area of the Campus that was far from everyone.

Scott had his visor on and a staff in his hands; Logan had his claws out—looking ready to strike.

"You ready to get your ass kicked?" Logan asked, smirking at the man in front of him.

"Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?" Scott countered, cocking an eyebrow; Logan merely growled.

"Alright, let's have at it," Logan rumbled, charging forward with a swipe; Scott just leapt out of the way.

"Come on, you can do better than that," Scott teased, cranking his visor down a bit and shooting a laser at him.

It exploded in the man's face, sending him flying backward.

"Logan!" Lyra shrieked, getting ready to run for him until Kurt stopped her with his tail.

"Do not vorry, Fraulein, he vill be fine," Kurt reassured her, and he was right: moments later, Logan was standing back up and cracking his neck. He looked over at Lyra and winked, letting the small girl know not to worry about him. Lyra, however, turned crimson and shrank into her sweatshirt in embarrassment: she kept forgetting about his ability to heal, but that didn't make it any less frightening to watch.

"Have you had enough, Wolverine?" Scott snickered after about ten minutes, only to be met with an angry fist in his gut that made him double over in pain. "Ugh, I guess not… damn, that really hurt."

"Have ya had enough yet, four eyes?" Logan asked, laughing uproariously when the man doubled over.

Scott didn't like it so he quickly changed the dial on his visor and zapped Logan in the head. The man staggered back a bit, but as a result of Scott's choice of action, however, he didn't have his visor for much longer—and it rapidly went sailing through the air in Lyra's direction. The small girl instantly got up and ran to catch it since she knew Scott wouldn't want it damaged. The man couldn't open his eyes without his visor, either, which would have been a huge problem if she hadn't handed it back to him.

"Thanks!" he called gratefully; Lyra nodded before she padded back over to Kurt and plopped back down with a sigh. The blue teenager just sat there with a knowing grin on his face, watching everything and quietly flicking the girl with his tail; Lyra dealt with it, but she slowly began to scowl when it continued for more than five minutes.

"Stop it already!" Lyra finally squeaked, swatting at his long tail with a frustrated expression. Kurt snickered and smiled at her with his pointed teeth, but when Lyra tried to shove him, she was caught by his tail and pinned to the ground; he instantly straddled her stomach and began a tickle attack. "EEP! No, Kurt, don't! Eheheheeeehheee—s-stop it! I can't breathe! Stop, stop, stop!"

Logan and Scott stopped fighting and watched the hysterical tickle attack for a few minutes, finding it rather entertaining to see Kurt pinning Lyra to the ground and tickling her until her face turned red. She was normally a very pale and quiet girl, so seeing her laugh hard enough to make her own face turn beet red was impressive: it wasn't something they saw very often.

"Logan!" Kurt called out, looking down at Lyra's laughing face, "vould you like to help?"

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Lyra squeaked in protest, already knowing what he was planning; to the small girl's dismay, however, Logan looked at her with an evil smirk on his face. "NOOOOOOOO! Stop, stop, stop! Stop it, right now buster! I mean it!"

"This should be fun!" the man chuckled deeply, making his way over to where she was pinned. "I think I'll like this a lot."

"Logan, don't you DARE!" Lyra shrieked, watching him come closer with huge eyes as Kurt held her wrists pinned to the ground with his tail. When she tried to get away and it didn't do any good, the small girl went wild and let out a screech, but before she knew it Logan and Kurt were tickling her relentlessly. "EEEEK! Stop! Stop! I can't breathe! S-Scott, help me!"

However, the man just grinned and shrugged as she was tickled to death. Lyra began to shriek and squeal with painful laughter, squirming immensely as she tried to get away. They continued to tickle her, even when spots began to swim behind her eyes from the lack of air. When it got to that point, Lyra stretched her hand out toward Scott, large golden eyes begging the mutant man for help. It was a look that nobody could miss, so the bad-tempered mutant snorted and grabbed his staff before leisurely walking over to Logan and Kurt.

With a sigh, he smacked her assailants and forced them release her.

"The girl's gotta breathe," he stated, and the truthful fact got them to stop tickling her for a few moments: they stood there, watching in amusement as Lyra gasped for air like a panting dog, filling her lungs with its cooling touch. However, the girl's hands sparked and began glowing with blue light as she lay there on the ground, and Scott instantly took a step back since he didn't want to get hurt. However, both of the older men were alarmed when Kurt took a step forward and clasped her small hand.

"What are you doing?!" Scott cried, grabbing the boy's shoulders and pulling him away. "Are you _trying_ to get shocked?"

"Let me go," Kurt demanded, pulling away from him; both Scott's and Logan's eyes went wide at the defiant act, since Kurt was normally a very meek person when someone wanted him to do something. However, their jaws dropped open in amazement when they saw him do what Lyra had witnessed a handful of times already: taking her small white hand into his large azure palm, he absorbed her power into his body as the blue and red light meshed.

"What the hell are you doing to her, Elf?!" Logan growled, pulling him away from Lyra.

"Nien, get off me!" Kurt told him, pulling away and giving the man a glittering, threatening look; however, they all turned to watch as Lyra pushed herself up into a sitting position, holding her head for a moment. Kurt's tail worriedly began flicking behind him when he saw the blank stare on her bone-white face. "Are you alright, Liebchen? You look very pale right now."

"I'm fine, Kurt… it's just a little headache," Lyra reassured, rubbing the back of her tingling neck with an exhausted frown on her face. Logan gave the girl a strange look when she used Nightcrawler's real name, so she decided to explain a bit. "I call him by his name, Logan, just like I do with you and Scott. I'm not a whack-job superhero like you: I believe in real names."

"Well, you might wanna reconsider it since four-eyes is a total quack," Wolverine snorted, giving her a lazy grin.

"If he's a quack, you're a woof," Lyra retorted, rolling her eyes at the joke and climbing to her feet.

Her vision suddenly began to spin as a sickening presence slammed into Lyra's awareness: the around her shattered like a fragment of glass a second later, she saw him standing behind her friends. Mouth opening and closing as she tried to shriek, no sound was able to come out and because of this her face drained completely of color. Lyra clutched her chest with both hands the second her looked at her: those eyes were unforgettable, his face utterly burned into her sleeping memories: Lucifer. Then the vision disappeared and she collapsed against Kurt. Startled about having the girl suddenly fall against him, he caught her by the arms and held her up.

Her head lolled limply even though she still was conscious and staring at the sky.

"You are not alvight, Lyra," Kurt breathed, holding her up by the shoulders and looking at her pale face.

"Can we just drop it?" Lyra asked weakly, trying to stand on her own only to collapse; before she could hit the ground, a training staff was being held in front of her like a bar, keeping her in place.

"I am taking you inside to see Hank and ze Professor," Kurt said worriedly, picking her up in a single fluid motion. Lyra gave out a startled yip, skinny arms instinctively flying around his neck. "Don't vorry, Liebchen, I von't drop you."

"Kurt, please put me down?" Lyra whined. "This is really embarrassing! Can't you just teleport us there?"

"Sorry, but I cannot go zhere if I cannot see it," the tall boy explained, carrying her into the mansion.

"Oh, right," Lyra whispered, feeling so embarrassed when students stopped to gawk that she hid her face in his collarbone with a fierce blush. She'd never had anyone actually carry her before, so it was an utterly embarrassing experience to be held like this in public—especially since Kurt was the one doing it.

She didn't know why, but it made her heart flutter.

"Is Silverlocks sick or something?" Quicksilver's voice suddenly asked. "Why is her face all red like that?"

"Move out of ze way, Elijah," Kurt insisted, making to go around him when Lyra squeaked in alarm.

"You know, you lovebirds should really learn to behave," Quicksilver stated wickedly. "You're setting a bad example for the other students with your smutty little love thing. I mean, the slut's all over you all the time: this just proves it."

"Lord have mercy and kill me now," Lyra whined, burying her face into Kurt's shoulder; to the girl's amusement, though, Logan flipped him the bird and shoved him out of the way with a growl. That left Quicksilver standing there with a shocked expression since he already knew that nobody fucked with the Wolverine and kept their body intact.

"Now, vhich one is it again?" Kurt asked, trying to find the elevator.

"Over here, Elf!" Logan groaned as he opened the elevator, stepping aside to let Kurt enter. Nightcrawler muttered a few curse words under his breath and she flicked him in the ear for it. Lyra could hear Logan suppressing a laugh when he saw the exchange, but she ignored it and rested her head against Kurt's shoulder. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she realized that being in his arms was actually kind of comfortable—and plus, he was unnaturally warm.

Unfortunately, Lyra also had the worst luck ever.

"Ah, Professor, ve were just looking for you," Kurt called when the Professor wheeled out of one of the rooms. He gave the Nightcrawler a curious look when he saw him holding Lyra.

"And what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

"Vell," Kurt murmured, taking a worried glance down at Lyra, "I do not really know."

"Let's take a look then," Charles said, moving down toward the medical room with everyone following behind him. Once they were inside, Kurt set Lyra down on the examination table. The girl sat there for a long moment, doing nothing but holding her head with both hands. "Lyra, could you please lie down for me?"

"Yes," she sighed, moving to lay down on the table; once she was comfortable, the professor wheeled behind her.

"Now, I want you to try and relax," the cripple said soothingly. "Alright?"

"Okay," Lyra whispered, closing her large golden eyes.

She tried her best to relax, but it was hard to do knowing that everyone was watching her every movement. Lyra could feel him going through her mind, sifting through her memories as he sat there with his hands hovering on either side of her head. At some point or another, the thought of Lyra's lost loved ones came to mind, causing her eyes to water and her hands to ball up: the small girl was so tempted to pull away from the contact that it became painful, but she remained still.

After a few more minutes, however, he finally pulled away.

"I can only assume that, in part, it's a result of your powers developing further than your body allows. They are evolving and growing stronger as you improve your control over them, but also…" the professor paused, turning to look at Logan, Kurt, and Scott with a small frown, "your little play fights don't help matters: she's literally worried herself sick about you."

Kurt shifted uncomfortably, yellow gaze traveling elsewhere.

"My advice is that you rest, but I would like you to see Hank some time next week so he can have a once over," Charles explained before he turned to Kurt. "Would you mind taking her to her room? I need to have a talk with Logan and Scott."

"Of course, Professor," the teenager replied with a grin, and with that they were off.

**TXXXXXT**

Several days later, a pair of yellow eyes flashed from the shadows along the ceiling of the hallway, followed by a burst of surprisingly white teeth.

Kurt crept along the ceiling like a spider, hanging upside down and nearly invisible as he snuck around in the shadows. Over the past few months he had become very familiar with the ceilings of the mansion, exploring them day or night. For instance, he knew if he kept straight along this path, he would come to the lounge where the students spent their leisure time. And if he took a right, then a left just before that point, he'd come to the kitchen: a place where there was a fair supply of granola bars, cookies, and other delicious things to snack on.

Which, quite frankly, sounded good to him.

He bounded along the walls until he hung right above the cookie jar on the counter; all he had to do was carefully lift the glass lid, snatch a few of the yummy pastries, and be gone before Storm could catch him and forced him to put them back. It was almost time for dinner, and the woman was stricter than an elderly grandmother when it came to good nutrition. Kurt had almost pulled the lid off the cookie jar when it unexpectedly sank into the counter.

It's disappearance nearly made him fall off the wall.

"Vas?" he wondered aloud, blinking at the counter in amazement until a girl's head popped out of it; when he saw Kitty Pryde grinning at him with the cookie jar clutched in her hands, he snorted in amusement and rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Hello Kitty!"

"Um… hi?" she greeted sheepishly. "This isn't what it looks like?"

"Same here, Frauline," Kurt answered, tail flicking amusedly behind him. "Now, may I have a cookie please?"

"Kitty, what's taking so long?" Bobby asked, peeking into the kitchen with Rogue peering over his shoulder. "Oh."

"You won't turn us in to Storm, will you?" Kitty asked in a small voice. "She'll ban us from sweets for a month."

_"Nien,_ not if you won't," Kurt snickered, dropping down from the ceiling and landing nimbly on his feet.

"Were you coming in for some cookies, too?" Rogue asked, shoving her arm up to the elbow into the porcelain jar. Kurt nodded and grabbed some cookies with his tail before smiling at the brunette; she smirked back, feeling completely amused.

"I was worried for a second that you were Storm," Kitty told him, popping a cookie into her mouth and cooing in delight.

"I vas worried about ze same thing," Kurt chuckled softly. "She has been very… adamant about no sweets before dinner."

"What're you doing out and about anyway?" Bobby asked, staring at him with suspicious blue eyes. "We haven't seen you for a while, man."

"I vas keeping vatch over Lyralianna Evangeline," the blue teenager explained with an embarrassed expression. "I left a gift on her dresser earlier because I thought zhat perhaps she vas mad at me… she hasn't spoken a vord since yesterday afternoon."

"Why on earth would you think she's mad at you?" Rogue asked, eyebrows lifting high in amazement. "Sugar, that girl is pretty much head over heels for you: anyone with eyes can see that, so I think it's pretty unlikely that she's angry at you."

"Vell, she hardly speaks to me lately, and vhen she does it's very forced," Kurt sighed, pointed ears drooping. "I bought her a new outfit and some white lilies from ze super market to say sorry for whatever I did. I left zem all on her table."

"Honey, that's just the way some girls are," Rogue sighed, rolling her eyes with a grin. "We get moody."

"So, she is not mad at me?" Kurt asked, ears perking up a bit.

"Nope, don't worry too much about it!" Rogue replied, waving her hand dismissively. "I bet she liked the gifts, though."

"She has not yet voken up," Kurt said simply.

"Well, Lyra seems sort of lonely in my own opinion," Kitty thoughtfully piped up; she instantly blushed when everyone stared at her in amazement. "Hey, don't give me those weird looks! It's true! Every time I look at her I feel like I just wanna _cry_ for some reason! It's more than the way she _looks_ all the time… it's almost like she's so unhappy that her emotions can affect the people around her, even Logan. I mean, that man never tries to be nice and friendly with anyone, so Lyra must have been through some really, really bad stuff to have earned his sympathy right off the bat. Am I wrong?"

Everyone fell silent as the truth of her words sank in.

"Kitty might be right," Rogue said quietly, looking a little sick as she put her cookie down. "Remember the day I used my powers on her and Logan got all pissed at me? I didn't wanna say anything because I was angry, but Lyra is the most unhappy, lonely, depressed, and _frightened_ person I've ever met. Her emotions were so strong that they nearly killed me on contact… not to mention the fact that she's beyond a level five mutant. I almost died the day I touched her, and even worse, now something is _changing_ inside me. I have a bad feeling that my powers are mutating even further because of her."

"Do you remember what she said after you touched her?" Bobby asked, raising an eyebrow. "She screamed for some girl named Mary, and then she started jabbering all that nonsense about people killing her sister. It kind of freaked me out."

"Vell, zat much makes sense to me since Lyra told me a little bit of her past," Kurt murmured, saddening a little bit as he remembered their time in the car. However, his tail twitched when everyone whipped their heads to look at him, eyes full of hungering curiosity that needed to be sated. "Oh, it vas not as much as you are thinking, but it vas enough to explain vhy she is so sad and lonely."

"Spill it, Sugar," Rogue commanded, brown eyes intense. "I want to know what she said to you, right now."

"She told me zat everyone she has ever loved has died because of her uncontrollable powers," Kurt explained, watching unhappily as they all froze like statues and stared off into space. "Zhen, evil people pursued her for her power and prevented her from ever being happy."

"Trauma much?" Kitty asked with a shiver. "No wonder she's so unhappy! She's like a disaster magnet!"

"Damn," Rogue murmured, feeling even more like an evil bitch than before. "I can't believe I was actually _jealous_ of her."

"Yeah, we're gonna have to talk about that later, too," Bobby snorted, looking at her in a seductive way.

They each took a few more cookies apiece before going their separate ways. Kurt, however, went to his favorite place in the whole mansion: the attic.

There was a window—partially boarded up—that offered a breathtaking view of the grounds and trees beyond, and it was the perfect spot to watch the sun rise or set. He plopped down on the floor in front of the window, legs tucked up and his arms wrapped around them while his tail beat a soft pattern on the ground, raising little puffs of dust. He stared at the stars above as they slowly turned, the attic darker than his own blue skin. It was no problem for him, as he had excellent night vision—but he wasn't ready to leave just yet. He wanted to watch the stars, see how many constellations he could name.

He made it to fifteen before his eyelids drooped and he slid to the ground, curled up and asleep.

_Images and shapes surrounded him in the dark, chasing him through the dark abyss as he sprinted toward the woman he loved. _

_He was running, but he couldn't see what he was running from—couldn't see what he was trying to get ahead of in order to save Lyra. Everything was black, and there was no light anywhere at all to guide his way in this hellish place... although, through the darkness, he could hear the sound of streaming water and a crying girl. Having no other alternatives, he put on another burst of speed and decided to follow the sound. Eventually, he came upon the small stream: it was bright, glowing with a hue of brilliant blues. In front of it was Lyralianna Evangeline, and she was weeping as she stood with billowing silver hair that floated around her like a cloud of fire. _

_He moved forward with uneasy golden eyes, making his way toward the crying girl. _

_However, when he was standing in front of the river and next to her sobbing form, he stopped and went rigid in shock when he looked down at their reflections: Lyra's face was staring up at them, expression smiling and happy as her long brown hair flowed down over her shoulders and soft green eyes twinkled like sapphire stars—but what really caught his attention was the figure standing next to the smiling brunette standing in the stream's reflection._

_It was himself._

_Kurt looked like a normal teenaged boy, and he felt shock working into his body because his reflection was utterly handsome. Wild black hair and steely silver eyes stared back at him with the same shocked expression that he now had. That's when a roar echoed behind him and the real Lyra was dragged into the darkness, screaming as she stretched out her hand to him._

_"Help me, Kurt!" she wailed._

_"Touch her and the world dies, demon child," a male voice snickered. "Such an awful decision isn't it? Let your true love fall prey to unbearable torture by my hands, or destroy the entire world by saving her life and letting her live."_

_"Please, help me!" Lyra shrieked again, dragged into the darkness and out of his grasp. "KURT!"_

_"You're the key to the Gem of Destruction, Kurt Wagner," a demonic voice hissed before the world dissolved into shimmering sparkles. "Save her when the time comes, and I will take it from there. Your love has been crossed by the stars."_


	10. Chapter 9: A Memorable Day

**Chapter Nine: A Memorable Day**

Lyra suddenly shot upright in bed, covered in a cold sweat as her breathing became uneven and terrified. She needed to be around someone, even if it was currently almost one o'clock in the morning: she didn't know who and she really didn't care as long as it was someone with a heartbeat. When the girl got up out of bed and threw her school uniform and stockings on, she turned to leave but stopped when she saw herself in the mirror. Vibrant yellow eyes that were much too large for such a pale face stared back at her, and wisps of soft silver locks framed her cheeks, looking—as always—like an old ragged curtain that had once seen better days. Too small of a nose made her entire face seem pinched, and her lips were way too full for someone who had such a small body. They were fatter than Angelina Jolie's lips, and it almost looked grotesque on a face like hers.

No wonder people called her _Trout Lips_…

Looking away from the mirror, the girl debated who to try and wake up. There was no way she was going to try Kurt: that was just out of the question since she was starting to get a crush on him, and her fear of rejection was always there now. That left only Logan and Storm, and for some strange reason, Lyra felt drawn to the gruff-tempered man at the moment. So, after popping her head out the door and looking around, Lyra waited until she was sure that nobody would notice her departure. She silently padded out into the hall and quietly closed the door behind her, nodding once before she tiptoed down the hallways towards Logan's room. His door was only a few rooms down since the school didn't have gender specific dorm, but the girl felt really bad when she saw him lying asleep on his bed. Lyra thought about leaving and forgetting about talking to someone, but the terrified feeling in her chest wouldn't let her move: it tightened around her heart, aching for help and reconciliation.

Not wanting to wake him up but not wanting to be alone, Lyralianna tiptoed inside the room and sat on the floor against the side of his bed, quietly pulling her knees to her chest and burying her head in them. The girl's mind continued to spin out of control as she sat there, not knowing what to do. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she heard the bed shifting, the sound of him putting weight on his arm as he stared at her.

She knew he was wide awake now, but she still didn't move from her spot.

"What are you doing in here, kid?" he asked, moving to sit up—springs of the bed creaking a bit as he did so. Lyra silently lifted her head up a bit to stare at him, trying to think properly. In the end she decided it would be best to tell him the truth.

"I woke up… and can't sleep," Lyralianna whispered forlornly, glancing up at him with a violent shiver. Noticing her shaky reaction and her unhappy eyes, the feral man sat up a bit more and moved his feet over the side of the bed. Before she realized what he was doing, he was sitting down beside her on the floor and staring at her expectantly. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"I couldn't sleep, anyway," he muttered, shaking his head. "Was lyin' there for a while before ya came in, actually."

"Oh," Lyra murmured, not really knowing what else to say.

"You needed someone to talk to, huh?" he asked; the girl slowly nodded in response to his question.

"I can talk to you right?" Lyra asked timidly, wanting to make sure it was okay.

"Of course," he replied, gazing down at her with a skeptical expression. "Did ya think I'd say no or somethin'?"

"I honestly didn't know what you would say," Lyra whispered, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "Logan, have you ever done anything so bad that it follows you wherever you go? Something that won't leave you alone, even when you sleep?"

The man remained silent for a moment, seemingly thinking about things as he sat there with her.

"What do you mean by bad?" he asked carefully. "There's a fine line between certain things."

"I mean, have you ever hurt someone that you loved with all your heart… and then realized, once everything was over, that you couldn't ever take back what you did?" Lyra asked unsteadily, looking down at her hands as tears brimmed her large golden eyes. "Have you ever done something so awful that it haunts you in your dreams? Even after years have passed?"

"I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of," he explained with a wary expression. "I've even killed people."

That was Lyra's breaking point.

"So have I…" the girl whispered, trying to keep a grip on her emotions; Logan started violently and blinked at her before he thought back to the last time he'd found her crying; after a moment, the pieces of the puzzle slowly fell into place and he gave the girl a sympathetic look. With a sigh, he placed his arm around her small shoulders and pulled her close to his chest.

"Your family?" he asked, already knowing the answer before she nodded. Lyra could feel the pain slowly building up as she remembered all the people she'd killed, along with the ones she hadn't. Thinking of the looks that had been on their faces before they'd died… it made her remember the fear that had been on their faces in the moments before she'd lost control. "How long have you been holding this in?"

"Since I was seven," Lyra murmured, setting her head against his shoulder and sleepily closing her eyes.

Not really sure what to do, he glanced down at her.

"You wanna go see if there's some ice cream downstairs?" he asked, staring at her with a small smile on his face. Lyra opened her eyes and blinked at him for a moment, obviously thinking about it; for some reason she really liked the idea, so she nodded up at him. When they walked into the kitchen, the two of them found Kurt buried halfway in the upper cabinet, munching on a granola bar and stuffing another three in his pocket while he held another clutched in his tail.

When they entered, he glanced at them disinterestedly and dove back into the cabinet—but then he jumped, hitting his head, and whipped around to stare at Lyra with wide eyes. The small girl clamped both hands to her mouth to muffle a gale of laughter when she saw that his cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk's, but he tumbled from the counter the moment she let out a strangled giggle that somehow clawed its way out of her mouth.

"I vasn't going to eat them all!" he stammered, waving his arms at her. "I vas… I vas going to share zhem!"

"Uh-huh," Logan stated disbelievingly, smirking when Lyra finally doubled over and started cracking up.

"I vas!" Kurt insisted, countering his own protests by tucking the granola bars deeper into his pockets. "You're up late."

"I was getting the Squirt some ice cream since she couldn't sleep," Logan grunted, highly amused. "We'll be in and out of here in a flash, so you can go back to mooching your horse chow. My lips are sealed since I hate granola bars."

"I vas done anyway," Kurt sighed, disappearing with his catch in a cloud of smoke.

"God, I love him… he's too cute for his own good," Lyra giggled dreamily, rolling her eyes; however, the small girl went a sickly pale when she saw Logan raise his eyebrows and grin at her. "Oh, shit! Please don't tell him I just said that! Please!"

"Not my secret to tell," Logan snickered, going to the freezer and pulling out a bucket of ice cream.

The moment Lyralianna took a bite of it, she nearly fainted: it had been so long since she'd had ice cream that she'd actually forgotten what it tasted like. It made her happy to say the least—and that was a major feat for food to accomplish with a girl like her. Unfortunately, the small girl soon found herself scraping at the remains of the ice cream in her cup and pouting when it was all gone. Logan would have given her another scoop or two if it hadn't been for the time.

"Hey, Logan?" Lyra asked, looking up at him with bright eyes.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking up from what was left of his Dr. Pepper ice cream float. He had his spoon sticking out of the side of his mouth, much like one of his cigars. The girl still didn't understand why he smoked those things: even if he had the ability to heal, it was still bad for his health. Plus, cigars smelled really, really bad! If you've ever been on the receiving end of one of those things then you'd agree that the smoke from it is like toxic gas, putrid and vile in all forms of the words.

"Is ice cream your answer for everything?" Lyra asked, tilting her head to the side.

"No," Logan instantly replied, frowning at such a dumb question.

"Rats, and I had really hoped it was," Lyra sighed dejectedly, snapping her fingers in mock disappointment. "That would have been totally awesome for a tough guy like you, especially since you can kick anybody's butt straight to the moon."

"You know, you're something else," he laughed.

"Yeah, I know," Lyra yawned, slowly covering her mouth with both hands; fatigue was starting to take over, but she wasn't quite ready to try and go back to sleep yet. Upon seeing her yawn, however, he grabbed the girl's cup and placed it in the sink with his. After that, he grabbed Lyra's arms and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Time for bed," he rumbled, moving to leave the kitchen.

"But I'm not tired yet," Lyra whined from her upside down perch, causing him to stop and sigh.

"Fine," he muttered, walking into the other room and tossing the tiny girl on the couch with little care. He watched as she bounced a few times on her back, blinking in startled surprise before the cushions finally held her still. "We'll just turn the television on and see how long you can stay awake then. I'll give you ten bucks if you can stay up for more than an hour."

"Okay?" Lyra asked, giving him a tired look; however, she nearly laughed when he turned on Cartoon Network.

"What're you grinnin' for?" he asked with a slightly cocky tone. "I thought you kids liked this cartoon stuff."

"Yeah, but I never knew you had a thing for the Powerpuff Girls," Lyralianna retorted, letting out a hiccup-y string of little giggles that wouldn't seem to go away. The adorable fit of laughter only increased in pitch when he went to sit down on the couch, lifting her up a bit by the back of her blazer to sit down. Lyralianna poked his leg as he sat there, purposely trying to annoy him. He just smirked and propped his feet up on the wooden coffee table, throwing her head up a bit since it was already lying on his foreleg. The girl was feeling just too lazy to move, though, so he was just going to have to deal with it.

"I'm a pillow now, am I?" he asked, raising an eyebrow; Lyra's only response to his humorous question was to turn and pat his leg a few times, pretending as though she were trying to fluff out a pillow. Once she was satisfied with her 'fluffing' she made herself comfortable on his shins, gazing up at him with laughter in her large yellow eyes.

"Much better," she choked out, trying to keep a straight face and utterly failing. For some reason, she was laughing too much.

Laughter wasn't normal for her... just, no.

"You really _are_ a goofy kid beneath that emotionless facade," he chuckled, grabbing a hold of her throat and giving her a noogie. Lyra instantly began to squirm, stifling both a laugh and a scream as she pushed against his arms and tried to get away.

"Logan, stop it! No touching my hair!" she finally squealed, beating at his arms with her tiny little fists. He simply laughed at the pitifully weak blows before letting go and allowing her head to fall back onto his leg. "You're a strange guy, Logan… I don't get how you can manage to laugh like that when so many terrible things have obviously happened to the two of us."

"You have to keep movin' forward," he replied, letting his arms rest on the back of the couch. "That's all you can do."

"But it's hard," Lyra whispered, letting her eyes fall closed with a yawn.

"Life in general is hard, Squirt," he explained, running a hand through her hair. "You just have to stand up and live it."

"Mmhmm," Lyra mumbled, only hearing a part of what he said since her mind was already drifting off.

She had never known that Logan's leg could have doubled as such a comfy pillow.

She could feel him moving around a bit as she lay there, but he was probably just trying to get more comfortable. How he could get even remotely comfortable with her lying there was beyond Lyra's comprehension, but he seemed to manage it somehow since he remained on the couch with her. Lyra's drifting mind was suddenly surprised by how understanding he'd been, though. The feeling of having him around was a comforting thought to the girl, and it helped her to relax a bit more.

Somehow, Logan was starting to feel like a father-figure.

**TXXXXXT**

Lyra slowly woke up to the sound of quiet whispers, clicking, and the feeling of someone poking her foot.

Shifting a bit, the small girl let out a soft mewl and turned her head to the side so her hair could shield her face. She could feel Logan's chest rising and falling beneath her as she lay there in nothing but a school shirt and pink boxers; her head was hurting, though, so she slowly buried her face in the crook of his arm in an effort to rid herself of the whispers. Still, they wouldn't go away and she only felt herself being poked further. Lyra nearly had a stroke when something extremely sharp poked her arm, and her golden eyes snapped open wide in alarm when the horrible pain came again: with a terrified squeal, the tiny girl jolted awake and rolled off of Logan's chest by accident—which sent her straight off the couch and onto the floor. In the confusion that ensued, she ended up bashing her head against the coffee table.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Lyra squealed, curling up into a little ball as tears filled her eyes. The only thing she heard in response was hysterical laughter echoing around her pounding head—that is, until the sound of Logan's enraged growling split the air.

"I'm gonna give you brats to the count of ten to get out of my room before I start decapitating," the feral man roared, and the sound of his claws coming out met Lyra's ears; within seconds, the whispers disappeared with hysterical cries of alarm.

"Are they gone?" Lyra whined, not uncurling from her fetal position.

"Yeah… you alright kid?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her and placing a hand on top of her head. Lyra groaned inaudibly at the pressure, making him ease up a bit: her head was killing her and extremely sore now.

"My head hurts… people make me hit it too much, and it's not happy with me right now," Lyra groaned, sitting up a bit with Logan's help. He had the girl lean her head down toward him so he could take a look at it, placing the slightest bit of pressure on the bump. Lyra instantly winced and bit her lower lip, and he pulled away since he obviously didn't want to put her in any more pain.

"Why don't you go take a shower and get dressed so we can scoot out of here?" he suggested, helping her up off of the floor. Lyra muffled a moan when she was finally on her feet and a sickening feeling of dizziness swam across her eyes. The moment she took a step forward, she misjudged where she was going and nearly fell flat on her face: if Logan hadn't caught her and held her up by the arm, she probably would have busted her lip open on the coffee table. Not very smart, obviously.

"That was stupid of me," Lyra muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"Easy there kid," he chuckled, grasping her small shoulders in his large hands to keep her steady.

Lyra gave him a small smile before standing up on her own, slowly walking out of the room, and heading upstairs to get dressed in a uniform. However, Lyra stopped still when she padded into her room and saw the flowers on her dresser. Eyes wide in shock and wonderment, the small girl stared at the white lilies in utter amazement before slowly, ever so slowly, walking over to her side dresser and touching a petal. The bouquet smelled amazing to her, but it wasn't until she saw the card next to it that her curiosity was spiked. With a small frown of confusion, Lyra picked up the card and sat down on her bed before opening it and reading what was written inside.

_I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked, so I bought the prettiest ones at the store. I thought they might make you not mad at me anymore, but just in case I bought you a nice outfit, too. I did not know your preference in clothing, however, so I got very lost in the women's store until an elderly worker decided to help me. She was the first person there who realized I was confused, so I hope we didn't make a mistake. The outfit is hanging in the closet. Hope you're not mad at me anymore._

_Kurt Wagner._

Lyra stared at the card with huge, expressionless eyes for the longest moment; then she went over the words a second time, and then a third time, trying to figure out if she was dreaming or not. When the message finally got through, Lyra's eyes filled with tears and a smile broke out across her pale face.

She slowly sat down on her bed and clutched the card to her chest.

"God, why do I love him so much?" she whispered to herself, breaking down into happy tears.

Once she was finished crying her eyes out, Lyra put the card inside her bedside drawer and danced over to the bathroom to take a shower. The girl took a long time getting herself ready, but the extra effort was worth it in the end. Looking in the mirror, Lyra realized that her was shining like a mirror and her optimistic face was positively blinding. Bouncing back into her room and throwing the closet open, Lyra's eyes widened and her jaw dropped to the floor when she saw the dress Kurt had bought her. Really, it was simple, but absolutely gorgeous—and it had to have cost over a hundred dollars since the fabric was nothing but pure silk. What was more, Kurt had bought her an adorable sunhat with a pink bow tied onto it—along with a pair of sandals and another pink ribbon for her long hair.

With a huge grin, Lyra dressed herself in the new outfit and fluffed her long hair out, actually feeling pretty for once.

Oh, she couldn't wait to see the look on Kurt's face...

"Hey, Lyra!" a girl's voice suddenly called from the hallway. "Can I talk to you?"

"Um, sure!" Lyra called back as she pulled on her blue denim jacket. "Come in, whoever you are."

"Okay, thanks," the voice called—and a brown-haired girl with bright blue eyes suddenly slid through the door as though it were made of smoke. Lyra jumped at the startling entry and stared when the girl waved at her with a huge grin. "Hiya! My name's Kitty, and I need to talk to you about a huge issue that Kurt's been having. Mind if I take a moment of your time?"

"Not really," Lyra giggled, grinning at the mention of Kurt's name. "I've got a few minutes to spare."

"Whoa!" the girl exclaimed, eyes popping open wide. "That's the first time I've ever seen you smile."

"Yeah, well, Kurt just made my month," Lyralianna sighed in response, sitting on her bed and hugging her pillow with a buttery-eyed expression on her face. "He's the most amazi—"

"Uh-huh, I knew it… I just got my answer from the look on your face, Lyra. Thanks for your time," Kitty giggled, making Lyralianna snapped her mouth shut when she realized what she'd just said to a total stranger. "You've got it real bad, girlfriend."

"D-don't tell him!" Lyra squeaked, blanching a sickly white. "I'll die from embarrassment if you do that to me!"

"Sorry, Lyra-Lyra!" Kitty laughed, before quickly sinking through the floor with a wave.

"Kitty, please, come back and let's talk about this!" Lyra wailed, paling to the point of translucency; when the perky brunette didn't return, however, Lyra did the only thing she could think of doing and screamed, "LOGAAAAAAN!"

Not even a minute later, Lyra heard the sound of footsteps charging down the hall and the man burst into her room.

"What's going on?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Mind telling me why you were shouting for Pryde?"

"She found out that I like Kurt and she's going to tell him!" Lyra wailed, shooting up off of the bed and darting out of her room; the skirt and ribbon dangling from her new dress fluttered behind her as she sprinted, silver hair flying as she ran down the stairs past several startled students. "Kitty Pryde, I swear I will skin you alive if you say one word to him! I MEAN IT!"

"Jeez… women and their love-life secrets," Logan muttered, shaking his head before walking out of Lyra's room and closing the door behind him. With a sigh, he rolled his eyes and strolled a couple rooms over, pushing another door open and lifting an eyebrow at the sheepish teenaged girl who was sitting in the corner. She instantly smiled at him in a sheepish way.

"Um… hi?" Kitty giggled, biting her lip when Lyra's desperate calling echoed up the stairs. "This isn't what it looks like?"

"Either get out here and apologize to Lyralianna yourself, or I'll drag your ass out and force you to do it," Logan threatened, pointing to the door with a serious expression on his face. "If the pipsqueak has something to make her smile, never take it away from her or I'll get involved: and before you ask, the answer is yes… I heard your entire conversation from my room."

"Come on, Logan, can't you give a girl a break?" Kitty asked, scratching the back of her head. Seconds later, the teenager went flying out the door of her room and straight into the hallway. "Ouch! Damn it, you didn't have to throw me so hard!"

"You ain't made of glass, Pryde, so don't act like it," Logan retorted with a smirk, looking down the hall as Lyra came sprinting back around the corner. The moment she saw the brunette, the tiny girl stomped forward until she was standing right in front of her. Kitty stood there and stared at the tiny silver-haired girl with nervous blue eyes; however, Lyra finally sighed and grabbed Kitty by the ear, jerking on her earlobe and pulling her down until they were face to face.

"Next time you want to interrogate a total stranger about her love life, keep what you learn to yourself so you don't end up in a ditch someday," Lyra scolded, pushing the girl away with a huff. "You need to be discreet with other people's secrets."

"I'll remember that," Kitty whispered, going a little pale.

"Oh, come on! I wasn't threatening you, Kitty," Lyra sighed in annoyance. "I'd never hurt someone intentionally, but other women wouldn't be so understanding. Anyway, Logan, can we please just get going now? I'm dressed, so can we leave?"

"Sure, Squirt," Logan chuckled, rolling his eyes as he went downstairs.

Once again, Lyra found herself in the garage and heading towards a certain black motorcycle.

"Promise me no there'll be no crashing this time and I'm set," Lyra croaked, looking at the dreaded machine.

"As long as you promise to hold on tight, I think we'll be good," the feral chuckled, throwing his leg over the back of the bike and handing the girl an undamaged helmet. Lyra took off her sunhat and strapped the safety helmet on, quickly buttoning up her jeans jacket before getting on. She wrapped her slender arms around his waist as he started it up, lifting her small feet off the ground and burying her face into the back of his leather coat.

"Ready, kid?" Logan asked.

"Not really, but let's go," Lyra mumbled, nodding her head; the girl let out a yip when he sped out of the garage at high speed and clamped her arms around his gut with crushing force. Terrified, she squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to look at anything, but the girl could still hear him laughing over the roar of the engine. "Where are we going?"

"Waffle House," he called back, and Lyra laughed under her breath when he said this. Seeming to hear her reaction, he sped up a bit and made the girl tighten her grip on his waist. She could feel him laughing now, the vibrations coming off of his body as she pressed her face against his back. If she was going to be honest with herself, knowing her jittery reactions made him laugh like that felt kind of nice. As Logan drove down the highway, Lyra eventually began to relax and loosened her grip a bit. She let her fingers splay out across his stomach, feeling the smoothness of his leather jacket.

It was slightly rough from age.

"Hey, Logan?" Lyra called, struck by a sudden curiosity.

"Yeah?" he shouted over his shoulder.

"Where did you get this jacket?" Lyra asked, shouting the question over the engine of the motorcycle; the girl felt him shift a little bit before he decided to answer her question. For a moment, she got no response... and she was beginning to think he wouldn't answer when he startled her.

"I don't remember," he called back.

Lyra caught the faint unhappiness in his voice when he replied, so she didn't push the matter and shut up for the remainder of the ride. To say she was happy when they finally pulled up into Waffle House's parking lot would be an understatement: she was so shaken that she only let go of Logan's middle after he turned off the engine, and only then did she unwrap her arms and climbing off the motorcycle.

"Now, that wasn't so bad was it?" he asked, biting back a smile when she fluffed out her messy silver hair and daintily planted her sunhat back on top of her head. Lyra simply gave him a playful glare and shoved him before running inside Waffle House with a squeal of laughter. He hastily followed her, but the man startled her badly when he lifted her into the air; Lyra squealed in alarm when she was set on his shoulders, but she instantly wrapped her arms around his forehead to keep from falling.

"Don't think you're gonna get off easy, Squirt," he laughed, clamping his hands down on her ankles. "I won't make a scene in here if you embarrass me, but once we're done eating and we leave, your skinny little ass is mine."

"Put me down, Logan! I'm fifteen years old, so don't treat me like a doll!" Lyra squeaked, gently smacking his forehead in protest and helplessly flailing her captured legs. He merely chuckled and walked over to a booth before setting her in the chair and sitting across from her. Once Lyra had straightened her disheveled white dress, she yawned and stretched her arms a bit.

"Hey, wake up," he said, shooting the paper wrapping of a straw at her face.

"Watch it!" Lyra giggled, swatting at his hand when he tried to poke her in the cheek. The two of them paused and watched with similar expressions of interest as a waitress came up to them with a broad smile; Lyralianna cocked a curious eyebrow when the woman stood a bit closer to Logan than she should have, realizing in an instant that the waitress was obviously a total flirt.

"Hello, my name's Cindy! How can I help you today, handsome?" she asked Logan in a much-too-sweet voice; Lyra muffled a giggle of amusement and watched with laughing eyes as the large man shifted uncomfortably.

"I'll have three eggs over easy, sausage and bacon, a hash brown, toast, and two waffles," he rumbled, cracking his neck.

"And to drink, sir?" Cindy asked kindly.

"Coffee, black," he answered, and right after that she went to walk away without even asking Lyra what she wanted.

"Um, excuse me, Ma'am," Lyra called politely, getting her attention with a smile and a wave.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you," she exclaimed, but Lyra could see that she didn't mean it. "What would you like?"

"It's okay, Ma'am, we all make mistakes," Lyralianna cheerfully replied, rolling off the subtle sarcasm with a smile. "I'd like some water to drink, and for food I'd like two eggs over easy like my _father,_ along with some bacon, and two pieces of raisin cinnamon-swirl toast. I'll just steal some of his waffle… is that okay with you, _Dad?"_

"Of course, _honey,"_ the man instantly replied, patting Lyra's tiny hand as he gave her a devilish grin; the silver-haired girl had to try her hardest not to laugh as they sat there, and only when the waitress left did they burst into quiet laughter. "Hey, _honey,_ why don't you come over here and sit by Daddy for a while? He's feeling a bit lonely."

"Okay, _Pops,"_ Lyra cheerfully retorted, grinning impishly as she got up from her seat and plopped down on the other side of the table next to him.

Just as she was letting herself relax, Logan placed an arm over her shoulders and pulled the girl so close to his chest that she could hear his heartbeat. Lyralianna looked up at him with curious eyes when he ruffled her long hair with a large hand, but he simply smiled at her with an amused look on his wolfish face. Lyra opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but she stopped when the waitress came back with their drinks. Lyralianna grinned as a clever idea came to her mind, and she tore the end of the wrapper on her straw before discretely aiming it at Logan and letting it fly into his face.

"Yep, payback is always sweeter when it's least expected," she giggled quietly, quickly being met with his knuckles rubbing harshly against her skull. Lyra squealed in protest and tried to pull away from him, but to no avail: he was just too strong for someone as small as her to deal with. An elderly couple sitting at a nearby booth became interested in the commotion and peeked at them, but they smiled in amusement when they saw Logan giving Lyra the noogie of the century.

"You had enough yet, Squirt?" the man chuckled deeply.

"Yes, now let go of my hair! Never touch the silver, I mean it!" Lyra squealed, frantically trying to pull away; she nearly fell out of the booth when he abruptly let go of her. Despite her glare, there was a smile on his face as he ruffled Lyra's glossy silver hair once again, making it stick out in every direction. With a whine of protest, Lyra began to straighten out her newly-created haystack just as the waitress came back over with their food and set it down in front of them. The small girl watched as she slid Logan's gently in front of him, but she flinched when the woman dropped hers with enough force to break the plate.

Lyra wanted ask the woman what she'd done to make her so mad, but Logan stopped her by ruffling her hair again.

"Just eat, kid," he said, stuffing a piece of waffle in his mouth.

Shrugging, Lyra turned to look at her food and stared in awe as her eyes took it in. There was so much sitting in front of her that she was utterly amazed: she had never eaten so much in one meal while she'd been living with Molly. When she popped a piece of bacon in her mouth, she swooned: it was a bit soft, just how she liked it. Lyra closed her eyes as she chewed, savoring the taste as she reveled in the experience: she loved bacon, but she rarely ever got to eat it, so this was a special occasion. Once the bacon strips were finished, Lyra moved onto the toast and spread a little bit of apple butter over it. It smelled so good that she couldn't help but breathe in the wonderful scent, but soon temptation overwhelmed her and she took a big bite of it.

The piece was devoured in only a few swallows.

"Enjoying yourself?" Logan asked, watching her eat with a cocked eyebrow. Lyra eagerly nodded her head before taking her fork and snagging a nice-sized piece of his waffle, happily popping it into her mouth. He laughed as she turned to look at him: mouth closed and full of food, Lyralianna Evangeline smiled the best she could and made herself look like a total goofball.

**TXXXXXT**

Two hours later, Lyra was back at Academy and wandering the halls in search of Kurt, whom she wanted to thank for the lilies and the outfit she was currently wearing. As she walked the halls and peeked into several different rooms, she got an almost painfully obvious idea and turned around. Two turns and a flight of stairs later, Lyra stepped through her bathroom door and made her way over to the other side, stopping directly in front of Kurt's door: sure enough, she could hear him muttering.

After fluffing her hair and smoothing her outfit, Lyra knocked on the door and opened it.

"Kurt, are you in here?" she whispered, hesitantly looking inside the room; the blue teenager was sitting perched on the edge of his bed as he muttered to himself, but he had what looked like a cross on a chain hanging from his fingers. The second she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, his glowing yellow eyes snapped open and fixed on her face

"L-Lyra," he stammered, surprised to see her there.

"What are you doing?" Lyra asked quietly, staring at him as he leapt off his bed and onto the floor.

"I vaz praying," he explained, holding up the metal cross that hung from his pocket before examining her apparel with gleeful golden eyes. Lyra, however, was too distracted by the cross to say anything now: as she stared at it, thoughts began running through her head and she had to avert her eyes for a moment. It hurt to look at the cross dangling from his hand.

"How do you do that?" Lyra whispered, slowly lifting her eyes to look at his face again. _"Why_ do you do that?"

"You mean pray?" he asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion. "I pray for forgivnezz and to be clozer to Gott."

"How can you believe in him?" Lyra inquired, wanting to know how someone like Kurt could ask for forgiveness when all he'd gotten was a life full of pain and fear. To boot, he was the most innocent person she knew: there was nothing to forgive.

"Because Fraulein, he is merciful," Kurt murmured. "He gives forgiveness to zhose who ask for it. You do not believe?"

"I used to," Lyra explained, turning to the wall and resting her forehead against it.

"Zen you know zat he iz forgiving," he pointed out, coming to stand by the small girl's side.

"Not when you've killed people, Kurt," Lyra retorted, not realizing what she had just blurted until it was too late.

"Killed people?" he questioned, brows knitting together as he stared at Lyra with skeptical yellow eyes.

"Yes, and because of that I'll burn in hell… so, why should I pray?" Lyralianna asked, biting her lip. "If I had been born as a normal human girl, there wouldn't be any problems with my life right now. I would still be living happily with my parents."

"Zhis vaz a result of your powers," Kurt suddenly stated, eyes going wide as realization struck him. "Oh, Lyralianna… it vas not your fault. Gott forgives sins because he loves us. You just have to believe in him and he shall guide you to ze heavens."

"N-no! It _was_ my fault!" Lyra cried, shivering when he embraced her; she tried to pull away as the tears began to fall, but Kurt wouldn't let her go. He knew better than to let go of Lyra, knew that she was breaking apart and needed someone there to keep the pieces together. Kurt held her tightly and sank down to the floor with her; she instantly began crying against his shoulder.

"Please, Lyra, just listen? If you von't pray, zhen I vill do it for you," he offered, strange three-fingered hands resting lightly on her shoulders.

When the small girl nodded, Kurt took his cross from off of his pants and placing his hands on the sides of her face. His rosary dangled down and brushed her cheek as tears spilled down her face; he didn't seem to mind that they soaked into his skin and traveling down the muscular blue plain of his arm. With a small sigh, he placed his forehead against Lyra's and began to hum a gentle tune. With each tear Lyra cried, her soul grew tired and cried out for redemption: she still believed in God, but she was too scared and ashamed to ask for forgiveness after everything that she had done by accident. Now, Kurt was doing it for her, praying to God so that she wouldn't have to. He prayed for Lyra to put her restless and longing soul at ease, to free her from her self-imprisonment: and all she could do was nod weakly and let her pain fade.

"Merciful Gott," Kurt whispered quietly, head down and eyes closed, "forgive zhese sinz as you have forgiven mein. Forgive and let her be free from zis sorrow she holds. Please, Lord in heaven, save her from zis suffering."

In all honesty, Kurt's words of prayer were soothing to Lyra's heart even though they seemed foreign to her ears. They brought back memories that she'd kept locked away in the recesses of her mind. Though as everyone knows, not all memories can be forgotten. No, those particular memories came back out every now and then just to spite you. Right now was one such time for Lyralianna Evangeline.

_"Come here, baby," Erika Tokitou said softly, brushing away the tears from Lyra's eyes. "Hush now, please don't cry."_

_"But I did a bad thing, Mommy," Lyra cried, sobbing as she went to the blonde woman's arms._

_"What did you do, sweetie? Tell Mommy and I'll make it all better," she promised._

_"I-I lied to Onii-chan," the little girl tearfully exclaimed. "She asked me if someone hit me at school and I said no!"_

_Once again, Erika wiped away her guilty tears and kissed her forehead gently, looking to be on the verge of crying herself._

_"Don't worry, baby, all is forgiven," the woman assured Lyra._

_"But… we're not supposed to lie! It's against the rules," Lyra cried, and her foster mother sighed, pale brown eyes tracing over every scrape and bruise on her tiny face. Lyra's expression was filled with such anguish that it made her smile in amusement, for this was a very trivial matter on her side of the story. Childish innocence was sweet and adorable to Eiko, and because of that she loved both of her daughters very dearly. _

_Even if her youngest hadn't been born to her, she loved her children._

_"Yes, I know sweetie, but He always forgives us," she said, causing Lyra to look at her. "God, forgives all sins as long as we believe in His wisdom. We must believe in Him, Lyra-chan… we must embrace Him, cherish Him, love Him, and hold Him always in our hearts. He loves us. You lied to keep your big sister from feeling worried. That was noble."_

With a gasp, Lyra's pupils dilated and tears rapidly began to fall from her eyes: it had been years since she'd remembered something like that about her foster mother, and in this situation it had given her a shred of hope.

"In your loving and holy name, I pray, amen," Kurt whispered.

"Amen…" Lyra choked faintly, catching him by surprise but causing him to smile.

Breaking down completely, Lyra flung her arms around his neck and hugged him as she cried.

"It's alright Lyra, it is alright," he shushed, blinking in amazement even as he held her in his arms and returned the embrace: she was the first person to have ever hugged him like this during the entire course of his life, and the simple reaction made him feel like normal young man instead of a rare monster that people liked to call a demon. With hesitant fingers, Kurt Wagner gently stroked Lyra's silver hair as he murmured faint words into her ear.

They were gentle words of calming, psalms from the Bible.

"Hush now… please do not cry anymore," he whispered softly, accent never wavering; as always, the strain of stressful situations and letting go of her emotions wore Lyra's body out, exhausting all of her energy. She had gotten so wound up that she was completely tired out now. The tiny girl wanted to go back to sleep but she couldn't stop crying long enough to try. "Hush, Lyra…. it is alright, ze Lord is vith you, and I am here as vell."

When Kurt began rocking her back and forth, Lyra shook her head and weakly tried to brush away her tears, but no matter how much she tried more just came out: the girl had absolutely no clue why crying always tired her out so much, but then again, so much of her energy was used and wasted on it that it wasn't surprising. So, without really thinking about anything else, Lyra just let herself rest against him. Her exhaustion was slowly taking over and leaving her alone with Kurt in the darkness, but even in the dark she felt safe, and would for as long as Kurt was there with her.

She was finally beginning to believe he would protect her no matter what.

Lyra heard him sigh as he wrapped his arms around her light frame, and with little exertion at all he lifted Lyra into his arms and walked toward his door, tail flicking behind him as he looked down at her face. Trying to suppress her emotions didn't help the embarrassed blush, and it only wasted energy that she obviously didn't have left.

"Whoa!" Rogue squawked, startled eyes landing on Lyra and Kurt as she walked around the corner. "What's goin' on here, Sugar?"

"Nozing is going on," Kurt quietly assured her, walking toward the small girl's room; that answer apparently wasn't good enough for Marie, so she followed the tall youth into Lyra's bedroom and examined the blue-skinned teenager's face.

"Vhy must you alvays follow me, Marie?" Kurt asked, glancing at his foster sister as he set Lyra down on her bed.

"Because I wanna know what's wrong with her," Rogue retorted, moving closer to look at her. "Hey, why was she cryin'?"

"It is not my place to say," Kurt commented, folding his arms and cocking his head. "It is between her and Gott now."

"Don't give me that crap, Sugar," Rogue snorted, obviously annoyed with her foster brother's vague answers. "I know you too well to take that answer seriously. What was so bad that it made an emotionless girl like Lyra cry herself to sleep?"

"Please stop arguing…" Lyralianna groaned, turning over a bit and surprising both of them; it was obvious from the sound of her voice that the girl was dead tired, and they both noticed it; Lyra gave Kurt a look that basically said, 'Go get Logan' and with that he left the room with a sigh. Although, he left her alone with Rogue, who continued to pester her with questions.

"Why were you cryin'?" the brunette demanded, sitting down on the edge of her bed with a sour expression. Lyra simply turned over with a frown, facing away from the girl and closing her golden eyes in an effort to tune her out. Even though it was obvious that she was still mad at Rogue, it didn't seem to deter the brunette from turning her back over to face her glare. "Come on, Sugar, just tell me already."

Rogue scowled even deeper when Lyra didn't give an answer.

"It's not something that I want to talk about," Lyra finally muttered, listening quietly to the oncoming footsteps.

"Why won' you tell me?" Rogue questioned, still trying to pump her for answers. "Would it help if I apologized?"

"Marie, stay out of here," Logan's voice snapped, and Lyra let out a sigh of relief when the man came into the room. She watched as he grabbed the brunette by the back of her shirt, tossed her out of the room, and closed the door on her.

"Logan…" Lyra whispered tiredly, sighing as a small smile spread across her face; he let out a faint chuckle as he pulled the desk chair up.

"What's got you so bent out of shape before eight in the evening?" Logan asked. "You were full of energy this morning."

Lyra had just opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly he held a finger up: he then got up and went to the door, opening it with a bang, and grabbing three familiar teenagers roughly by their uniforms. She could hear the sound of several yelps as they were tossed into their individual rooms, but she wondered weather Logan would actually end up hog-tying them. The man came back five minutes later with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Well, I think that takes care of that," he said, sitting back down in front of her.

"Please tell me that you didn't just do what I think you did?" Lyra sighed through half lidded eyes.

The man merely grinned at her.

"Lovely…" Lyra muttered, closing her golden eyes with a tired sigh. When Logan didn't hear anything else from her after a good ten minutes, he left with the resolve that she was finally asleep. Unfortunately, Lyra woke up at midnight and found that she was unable to go back to sleep. So, against her better judgment, she decided to get up out of bed. A thought crossed her mind as she left her room, and she quietly headed toward Rogue's even though she really didn't want to. Lyra had a feeling that the brown-haired girl wasn't asleep, which meant that she was likely tied up if what Logan had insinuated was true. Upon entering the girl's room, Lyra found that she was right and couldn't help but laugh as she stood there staring at the brunette.

Rogue was lying the corner of her room on her stomach, tied up from behind and staring at her with pleading eyes.

"You know, Rogue," Lyralianna murmured, rubbing her eyes a little bit, "I have half a mind to just leave you like this and attempt to go back to sleep."

"Oh, come on! I'm sorry for using my powers on you, okay? Now, I'm beggin' you, Sugar, help me outta this?" Rogue pleaded unhappily, grunting a little as she moved around the best that she could. Lyralianna rolled her eyes and walked over, kneeling directly in front of Rogue with a determined expression. Hooking a strand of silver hair behind her ear, the small girl went to work at trying to untie the brunette, but her efforts did little good and only resulted in making her hands really sore.

"Ouch… this is on really tight," Lyra murmured, rubbing her chaffed fingers; after thinking it over, the girl lifted her hand and closed her eyes, focusing on the moisture in the air and picturing it condensing around the back of her wrist. After a few seconds she felt her body charging with power, vibrating in the air around her body and allowing her to control the water. Liquid swirled around her hand and formed into a thin pillar, and her long hair fanned out with a gentle wind. After a few moments of shaping her creation, she released a surge of energy into it and it froze the moisture into a blade.

"You're gonna _cut_ me out?" Rogue asked, blinking in amazement at the girl's display of unusual power.

"Y-yeah… I've got it," Lyra sheepishly replied, poking her tongue out to the side as she began working on cutting the girl loose. It took her a few minutes since Logan had tied the girl so tight, but she eventually cut through it. Rogue was so happy when he was finally free that she actually gave Lyra a hug; then she rubbed her wrists and cracked her stiff neck and back.

"Thank god," the brunette muttered, groaning as her back popped.

"Feel better now?" Lyra mumbled, yawning as she rested against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Much better, and thanks," Rogue snorted, smirking at her.

Lyra nodded in reply and simply sat there with her eyes closed, the ice blade dissolving away into sparkling moisture. For some reason, her mind kept trying to pull her back into the dream world before she was asleep, and she jumped nearly three times as she sat there. Luckily it was Rogue who was in the room with her instead of a few other people living at the academy. She could only imagine what someone like Quicksilver or Toad would try to do to her while she was sleeping.

Rogue may have been crude and antisocial, but she wasn't cruel.

"You're fallin' asleep there, Sugar," Rogue snickered, stating the obvious aloud.

Lyra mumbled incoherently since she could only halfway hear her, slipping in and out of consciousness. She could feel the gears in her head turning as images made their way into her mind: they were all made of various colors, shapes, and sounds with nothing in particular standing out. Her dreams were nothing a bunch of swirling colors that continued to mesh together in her head at the moment: only half-formed.

"Lyra," Rogue warned, voice pulled the tiny girl back to her senses for a moment, "You're fallin' asleep, darlin'."

Even though she said it more clearly, it still didn't really register with the albino that well.

"If Logan finds you in here, I'm gonna be in trouble 'cause he'll think I'm picking on you again," Marie stated, listening carefully for any noise outside.

Lyra didn't really move or say anything as the brunette sat there, staring at her with a confused expression on her face. Lyra opened her sparkling golden eyes for a brief moment, gaze slowly fixing on the girl's face. When the silver-haired girl gave her an innocent grin, Rogue sighed in defeat and crouched down, wrapping her arm around the small girl's back. Lyra rolled her head and looked at the brunette with a faint spark of curiosity in her eyes, but when she smiled a bit before falling asleep, Rogue slid her other arm under the small girl 's legs and lifted her off of the floor. Rogue made sure to check the hallway before stepping outside and quickly sneaking over to Lyra's room. Once she'd put the silver-haired girl back in her bed, the brunette stood there for a few moments and simply stared down at the sleeping angel girl.

After a moment, she hesitantly brushed a bit of her satiny silver hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"You really _are_ perfect, Lyralianna… and I'm jealous. Everything about you screams goodness," Marie whispered bitterly, caressing the sleeping girl's soft cheek through her gloves. "I hate the fact that you're so innocent and pure, but I can't help but feel angry at myself whenever I think about how honest you are. It makes me feel even worse about myself because I know I'm the one who's in the wrong. You just don't understand how lucky you've got it."

After that, Rogue sighed and left the room.


	11. Chapter 10: Christmas Shopping

**Chapter Ten: Christmas Shopping**

Before Lyra could blink, weeks had suddenly gone by and the weather outside had started to grow colder. After looking out her window and seeing snow, she figured that it was about the second week of December… which meant that Christmas was just around the corner. The Professor had already relieved the students of class until the new year: some students had left for home, while others had stayed behind at the school.

Either they didn't have anywhere to go, weren't welcome back home, or just didn't want to leave.

It didn't matter to Lyra, though, since she just wanted to be left alone. Most people didn't like going outside given how cold it was, but the silver-haired girl was one of the weird people who simply didn't care. She wanted some time to herself so she could think about things.

It was going to be different for her this year: with a new home, new friends, new surroundings, this would be Lyra's first Christmas with people who actually cared about her since the death of her foster parents. It all felt strange to her, and at times it still kind of scared the girl, but regardless of her fears, she couldn't help but smile at the prospect of actually receiving Christmas presents for once.

She was kind of anxious to see what sort of things she would get.

However, when Lyra brought up the issue of Christmas shopping with the Professor, he was actually very kind about it and even gave her some money to go shopping with. He had told the girl that the money was hers to use anyway, since it was the money that a few of her previous caregivers had ignored even though it was supposed to be used for her well-being. He did suggest that she take Kurt, though, so she wouldn't be by herself.

Lyra didn't really mind so much, since he was good company most of the time.

However, Lyra felt extremely out of place when she and Kurt arrived at the mall because of how many people stopped to stare at them. Girls with silver hair just walking around and staring into different shop windows with blue-skinned boys looming beside them wasn't exactly an everyday sight. Seeing as Lyra's school clothes were starting to become a bit too worn, she bought a couple of different blazers, shirts, skirts, and four pairs of pants she thought would look cute on her. The tiny teenager also bought a few pairs of stockings, since she had worn holes in all of her other ones.

However, when they walked past a jewelry shop, Lyralianna made Kurt wait outside.

With wide golden eyes, the tiny girl bounced into the store and excitedly began browsing the shelves. After a few minutes, she found one particular section that held different types of rosaries and grinned broadly. Feeling excited, Lyra looked through the different assortments of rosaries and picked out a few different ones. When she had nearly six of the best ones in her hand, she went up to the front desk and was about to open her mouth to ask for an opinion when her eyes caught sight of a jewelry box inside the glass case. A few of the items inside had been pulled out so they were visible to customers, but what caught her immediate attention was a beautifully embroidered locket in the shape of a golden rosary.

It was absolutely stunning.

"Excuse me, Sir, but could I see that necklace for a moment?" Lyra asked quietly, pointing at the rosary.

"Certainly, Miss," the man behind the counter laughed, pulling it out of the case before he did a double-take and stared at her for a moment. Once he regained his composure and set the locket in front of her, Lyra flicked the rosary open and saw that there was a tiny clock on one side, along with a spot just big enough for a picture. It was perfect for someone like Kurt, and she was about ready to say she'd buy it when the girl heard the blue-boy's voice.

"Lyra, are you almost done in zhere?" the demon cheerfully called; when he started to walk in, the silver-haired girl squeaked and quickly left the counter, pushing him out of the shop so he wouldn't see his Christmas present prematurely.

"I'll be done in a minute, so just stay out here!" Lyra chided forcefully, wagging her tiny finger before quickly speeding back into the store. She sighed as she stood before the man, running her small fingers through her long silver hair. Due to the cold weather, her hair felt like cool satin against the heat of her skin, and it made her want to touch her own hair repeatedly.

"Have you decided on your purchase?" the cashier asked, smirking down at her in amusement.

"How much is this?" Lyra timidly asked, looking down at the locket.

"Sixty dollars," the man said proudly, grinning at her. "The lining is made of real gold, and the platinum-embedded clock still works like a charm. All you have to do is wind it now and then, and you'll have the perfect rosary pocket watch combination!"

Lyra sighed, debating for a moment on whether the necklace was worth it: she bit her bottom lip and glanced back at the front of the store, but her yellow eyes softened upon seeing Kurt sitting upside down on one of the benches and making a group of little kids laugh using his tail and a variety of funny faces. He was so adorable that it made her heart flutter wildly.

"I'm guessing that this isn't for you?" the man asked, diverting her attention back to him.

"My friend," Lyra murmured, gesturing at Kurt through the window, "has a thing for rosaries, and he's not very good with keeping track of the time."

"Ah, I see," the man mused, smirking a bit when he saw her adorably wistful expression. "Well, how about this: why don't I let you have this locket for forty five dollars instead of sixty? This old thing has been sitting in that box for nearly five years, and I was hoping someone would finally show some interest in it. If you hadn't come along, I probably would have tossed it."

"Wow, really?! Oh, thank you so much!" Lyra squealed, jumping up and down as he rang everything up. Kurt was very happy when she finally walked back out of the shop, but she nearly jumped to the moon in shock when he laughed and teleported directly in front of her. The children who had been gathered around him were amazed when he disappeared, and they laughed when they saw him standing directly in front of Lyra, who's long silver hair and big yellow eyes were just as amazing as his blue skin and spaded tail.

"Vhat next?" Kurt happily asked, tail cheerfully flicking behind him as he waited for her answer.

"I'm not really sure," Lyra sheepishly admitted.

_I'm such an idiot,_ the girl silently groaned, rolling her eyes at her own stupidity. _I really should have thought things over before coming here. Maybe then I'd actually know what to get for everyone. I mean, there's still Logan, Rogue, Kitty, Hank, the Professor, Ororo, and Scott to think about. Although, I kind of already know what I'm going to get Scott, and now that I think about it, a book would probably work for Hank… Rogue might like some new gloves, and Kitty… um, a Neko beanie?_

"Vhy don't ve just valk around until ve find somezhing interesting, zhen?" Kurt suggested, lifting his shoulders.

"Why don't we find the bookstore," Lyra asked, switching the bags to her other hand.

"Alvight, but I'll carry zhese," the Nightcrawler chuckled, coming up beside her and snatching the bags from her tiny hands. Lyra instantly tried to grab them back, but the much taller boy lifted the bags high above his head so she couldn't reach them from the ground. The tiny girl tried jumping for them, but she was too short: she decided to go with plan 'B' after several embarrassing jumps and grabbed a hold of his pointy ear.

Kurt let out a yowl of pain when she pulled him down to her level.

"Ach, ach, ach! Come on, Frauline, be nice?" Kurt pleaded, trying not to move his head too much; ignoring his plea, Lyra brought her face close to his so she could look him in the eyes. He kept silent, waiting for her to say what she wanted to.

"You look through my stuff and you're a dead man," Lyra muttered, letting go of his ear with a dangerous expression. Kurt stood there and rubbed his pointy ear for a moment, but now there was a very skeptical look on his angular face.

"Vas?" he asked, furrowing his brows.

"I mean it!" Lyra squeaked, stomping her foot with a pout. "Don't even take one little peek, Kurt!"

"Alvight, alvight, I von't look," Kurt sheepishly agreed.

"Thank you," Lyra mewed, walking forward with a relieved grin on her face.

Kurt unexpectedly came up beside her, throwing his arms around her waist and pulling her close to his chest as they walked.

Lyra could feel her face heating up a bit when she realized how close they were to each other, and she did her best to hide her embarrassed blush. Kurt stood there for a moment with his arms wrapped around her, but he rubbed his pointy ear when he finally decided to let go. He didn't know why the girl was so uptight about not wanting him to see the contents of the bags, but he'd agreed not to look inside them.

He didn't want his ear pulled again.

He watched as she started to walk off ahead of him, small hands hanging loosely at her sides while her long hair rippled in the light.

Even though he'd known her for nearly two months, he still didn't understand her at times: she was usually fairly quiet when it came to other people, and she really didn't talk to anyone. In fact, the only people she ever talked to were the Professor, Logan, Rogue, Kitty, and himself. Occasionally she'd talk to some of the other teachers and students, but it was rare and pretty unexpected when she did. Kurt had noticed, though, that she seemed to favor Logan... and he couldn't help but wonder why. He wanted to be a bit jealous since he liked spending time with her, but he always ended up reminding himself that she was scared and still trying to get used to having a semi-normal life. He sighed, then walked up behind her and placed his arms around her shoulders.

He could feel her stiffening a little as he pulled her back against his chest.

"Vhy don't we get somezhing to eat, Liebchen?" Kurt suggested, glancing down at her.

"Will you let go of me?" Lyra inquired, raising a delicate silver eyebrow at him.

"I don't zhink so," Kurt said, squeezing his eyes shut and grinning at her.

"Kurt, I just want to get done shopping, okay?" Lyra murmured tiredly. "My feet are killing me."

The Nightcrawler looked down at her for a moment, then nodded his head and lead her toward one of the benches.

"Zhen sit down," Kurt said, pushing her gently onto the bench. Lyra couldn't do anything but stare at Kurt as he pushed her to sit on the bench, watching warily as he knelt down and started undoing her dress shoes. She could feel a blush slowly creeping onto her cheeks as he did this, and she suddenly felt very self-conscious of herself. Shivering slightly, she took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling.

"K-Kurt… w-what are you doing?" Lyra asked, glancing back down as he pulled her worn stockings off of her tiny feet.

"Don't vorry, I'm just helping," Kurt reassured her, giving her a huge cheesy grin. Lyra's hair stood on end when he started rubbing and massaging her feet with his gentle three-fingered hands, breath catching tightly in her throat: the small girl had to turn her head away so she wouldn't have to look at him. She was so embarrassed by this that she felt like she was dying.

"K-Kurt," Lyra stammered.

"Don' vorry, I'm just helping," he repeated, but out of the corner of her eyes, Lyra thought that he had what looked to be a look of pure satisfaction on his face. He was enjoying the fact that she was embarrassed, the sneaky little devil…

"You're so dead when we get back," Lyra muttered, pouting like a child as she looked at the wall .

"No, vhen ve get back you can return ze favor," Kurt said slyly.

"You evil little sneak!" Lyra squealed in surprise, shoving him a bit with her other foot. He just laughed merrily before reaching into one of her bags and pulling out a new pair of stockings. He pulled them out before she could say anything, gently sliding them across her feet and slipping her shoes back on; after that he helped her stand up and dusted her blazer off.

"Now, let's get done vith zhat shopping of yours so ve can get out of here," Kurt laughed.

"You just wanna get back so you can have me rub your feet," Lyra snorted, scowling at him.

"I never said it vould be my feet, Liebchen" Kurt sighed, rubbing his neck with a grimace. "My neck and upper back have been very stiff lately and zhey hurt very badly. Logan is not very gentle vith me vhen it comes to our training, believe me."

"Cheater," Lyra mumbled, lightly smacking his arm and walking away with a red face.

"Ach! Lyra, vait up," Kurt called, poofing in front of her and grabbing the girl by the waist.

"What is it now?" Lyra growled faintly, but she had to stop when he looked down at her with a serious look.

"Frauline, you need to slow down," the blue teenager whispered, looking around carefully for a moment. Lyra's yellow eyes went wide and she whirled around to find that she'd gone nearly half the distance of the mall in only twelve steps. People all over the place had stopped talking and were staring at her, and frankly, the incredulous and stunned looks scared her.

"I did it again," she whispered, throat locking up. "How did it happen?"

"Let's just get out of here," Kurt murmured, slowly moving toward the exit with Lyra by his side. When the two of them got back to the academy, Lyra followed Kurt straight to his room. The silver-haired girl didn't want to be near anyone other than her blue-skinned friend at the moment, and even he was being given a great amount of leniency considering how badly her head was hurting. She felt completely awful, granted, but that didn't mean she was complaining.

"I vill go grab us somezhing to eat," Kurt murmured, heading out the door and trotting back down the stairs once she was sitting down on his bed.

This gave Lyra plenty of time to hide his gift in her room, but after that the girl went to her dresser and started pulling her old clothes out, tossing them onto the floor without care. She had to go through them and decide what she needed to keep or get rid of since most of her clothes were either too old or too small. To be honest, the amount of clothes she needed to throw away was ridiculous, and Lyra was in the middle of sorting through them when Kurt came into her room.

"Vhatcha doin', Liebchen?" the boy asked, taking off his coat and placing it on the back of the chair.

"Throwing my old stuff away," Lyralianna responded simply, holding up a shirt and looking at it closely. He looked at her with curious yellow eyes before peeling off his dark green turtleneck: Lyra's cheeks turned pink when she saw that he was wearing a black wife-beater undershirt. Tail flicking lazily behind him, Kurt looked at her with a smug expression on his face.

"Like vhat ya see?" the Nightcrawler asked, blinking at her with mockingly innocent eyes; Lyra's pink cheeks abruptly turned bright red and she tossed an old pair of pants at him before hastily turning around. "So, vhat about zat back rub?"

"Fine, lie down on my bed," Lyralianna finally sighed, standing up from her spot on the floor and stretching out her slender limbs. The extremely tall boy did as he was told, gently lying down on his stomach and resting his head in his arms. Once he was situated and comfortable, the tiny girl swallowed and hesitantly got onto the bed, straddling his backside with a red face. "I-I'm not too heavy, am I?"

"Nien, you are not," the boy reassured her. "You're much lighter zhan I expected, in fact."

"Um, okay then," Lyra murmured, hesitantly placing her tiny hands on his strong shoulders. She could feel his muscles rolling under her palms, but she was surprised to feel him relaxing under her touch. It was kind of interesting, so she continued to put gentle kneading pressure on his shoulders. After a few moments, she pressed the brunt of her hands into his blue-skinned back, working to relieve the tension from it.

She could feel the muscles loosening up as she kneaded his skin.

"Zhat feels good," he mumbled sleepily.

"Does it really?" Lyra asked, staring at him with tentative eyes. He nodded, letting the girl go back to working on his sore muscles with a soft grin; after a moment he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling that she was giving him. He actually moaned when Lyra worked a knot out of his lower neck and left shoulder, causing her to giggle before she realized she was doing it.

"Vhat's so funny?" Kurt asked without opening his eyes, tail thumping twice against her back.

"Does it really feel that good?" Lyra asked, skeptically biting her lip.

"Of course it does, Frauline," he replied, shifting slightly. "Have you not ever had a massage?"

"No, I haven't," Lyralianna admitted, working on the spot between his shoulders. "People are too scared to come near me."

"Zhen I vill have to give you one sometime," Kurt mumbled, letting out a sound that sounded oddly like a purr; a huge blush crept onto the girl's cheeks upon hearing his statement and she quickly squeezed her eyes shut, trying to concentrate on what she was doing. Little by little, the silver-haired angel worked her way down his back, kneading at his stiff muscles. He seemed so content and at peace while she was doing it that it actually made her smile.

She didn't smile very often.

"That's really not necessary," Lyra murmured, looking away for a moment, "but… you know, um… I really think you guys should be more careful."

Her statement caught his attention, causing him to roll over so he could glance at her face; Lyra lost her balance and ended up falling flat on his chest.

"I vas not aware zhat you vorry about me so much," Kurt said, trying to hold back a smile when her face flushed.

"I… I don't!" Lyra stuttered, sitting back up with stiff movements. "I j-just think that you guys should be more careful!"

"Vell, I vill try to be more careful zhen," he chuckled.

"Do you want me to finish or not?" Lyralianna asked quietly, face bright red and eyes averted as she waited for him to turn back over and allow her out of their awkward position. After a moment he did what she wanted, although he remained quiet when she sat back down on him. When she was finished with his shoulders, the girl proceeded to move to his lower back since he seemed to be the most sore in that area. The girl's theory was proven correct when he stiffened and let out a small groan.

"Little bit to zhe right, Liebchen," Kurt instructed gently; she did what he asked, moving her hands a bit more to the right and pressing down on the muscles. She felt them move a bit, but they barely even rolled under her hands, which made her frown in concern: his muscles were so stiff that she couldn't even imagine how bad they must have been hurting until now. After a while her hands started to hurt so she decided to use her elbow; the girl felt him jerk when she pressed down.

"Sorry," Lyra murmured, realizing that she had probably pinched a nerve by accident.

The girl continued for about another ten to twenty minutes before Kurt stopped her with the excuse that she seemed too tired to continue.

"Zhat's good, Liebchen, you can stop now," the Nightcrawler sighed, relieving her of her duty.

"I hope you feel a little better after this," Lyralianna murmured quietly, falling off to the side and staring up at the ceiling with a tired groan. After a moment, he rolled over and looked at her shimmering eyes with a broad grin on his face.

"Now I vill return zhe favor," Kurt stated happily, sitting up on the bed. "Vonderful… my back feels much better."

"Kurt, I really don't think that's necessary," Lyra instantly peeped, face going pale. "Really, I'm fine right now."

"Nonsense!" Kurt laughed lightly, moving over a bit. Lyralianna just shook her head with a frantic expression on her face, but that didn't seem to do any good since he merely sighed and looked baffled for a moment. "I promise zhat I vill behave."

"Um, okay, but… well, don't ask any questions when you see my back," Lyralianna whispered, slowly turning around and lifting her shirt over her head.

She kept it on her arms so it covered up her bra, then she lay down on her stomach, trying her best to keep her racing nerves under control. She didn't know what had possessed her to go through with it, but she guessed that she was slowly starting to trust him a bit more. He chuckled as he got behind Lyra and straddled her backside like she had done to him, making sure not to put too much of his weight on her fragile body.

Moments later, she could feel his warm hands moving her long hair aside and she shivered when he gasped in shock: he had obviously just seen the scars that had ripped across her back, because his entire body went still and he didn't make a sound for several moments. She feared he was going to ask her what had happened, but then his hands touched the skin on her shoulders and pressed in against the muscles. She abruptly shivered, eyes going wide as she stared at the wall: it felt different than she'd thought it would, and it actually started to feel amazing after only a little while.

Even though it hurt a little bit at times.

"Your hair is very soft, Lyralianna," Kurt murmured, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

When she giggled a little, he continued talking about the random things he'd noticed about her while he worked out the tension in her muscles. After taking a moment to think about it, Lyra realized that her tenseness was probably one of the reasons why she didn't sleep well. Her body was always stiff and sore from being hit by debris whenever her powers spiked by accident, and her training with Logan and the training in the danger room didn't help prevent this result. There was also the fact that she'd never really taken the time to actually relax in unfamiliar territory.

All in all, she was always bent out of shape for some reason or another.

"Kurt?" Lyralianna murmured softly, closing her eyes with a sigh.

"Vas?" he asked, and she smiled a little when she pictured him blinking down at her like a curious kitten.

"Thank you," Lyra whispered as his three-fingered hands nearly put her to sleep.

"You know, I vas vondering somezhing," Kurt sighed.

"Hnn?" Lyra peeped, feeling very sleepy; before the boy could reply, her door burst open and the tiny girl's golden eyes flew open wide.

She immediately let out a squeak when the boy flew off of her back and landed across the room.

"Oh, Gott," Kurt muttered, yellow eyes snapping open as wide as Lyra's, "zhis might be a problem."

"What do you think you're doin' to her, Elf?!" Logan shouted, angrily marching over to them.

"It is not vhat you zhink!" Kurt cried, but he was met with a swift punch to the face that knocked him flat on the floor. Then he gripped him by the throat and lifted the blue-skinned boy into the air, gritting his teeth with barely-restrained anger. "Ach, ach, ach! Logan, I cannot breathe! Please, let go of me!"

"Logan, stop! Stop! Stop choking him!" Lyra shrieked, scrambling off the bed and pounding on the man's arms when he shoved Kurt against the wall; Logan's hand tightened around the blue boy's throat and he was growling as he choked the life out of him. When Lyra let out an angry scream and purposely shocked the man with her building powers, however, Logan abruptly let go and Kurt slid down to the carpet. He instantly let out several wheezing coughs, face twisting up before he poked his tongue out in protest.

"D-danke, Lyra," he choked out, eyes squeezing shut only a second before he began coughing again. "Ach... my throat hurts more zhan my face."

Lyra furiously grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him out of the room with shaking shoulders, glaring stared at him for a long moment.

"What were you thinking?" Lyra asked, looking to be on the verge of tears. "Why did you do that to him?"

"What do you mean 'what was I thinking?!'" Logan roared, making her flinch backward in fright.

"He didn't do anything wrong, Logan," Lyra cried, instantly defending both herself _and_ Kurt even though a few tears were already sliding down her cheeks. Apparently, quite a few students had heard the ruckus between the two of them and had decided to come out and see what it was about. Now they were all staring at them, full of apprehension and confusion. Nobody had any idea what was going on, but they wanted to find out.

"Then can you tell me what the hell I just saw?" Logan angrily demanded; Lyra had to look away from him to prevent her from breaking down further than she already was.

She really didn't want to start crying in front of so many people.

"He… was massaging my back… because I don't sleep well," Lyra stated quietly, leaning against the frame of her door and resting her head against it.

When Logan finally noticed that she was crying, his face fell and his anger dissolved.

The only thing that Lyra could do now was stand there as everyone stared at her, including Logan.

However, before they could all start laughing at her, Lyra squeezed her eyes shut and took off running. She pushed everyone out of the way as she ran down the hall and bolted down the stairs, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste. The moment Lyralianna ran outside into the courtyard, she nearly fell to the ground in tears, but she managed to make her way over to the garden wall. She didn't realize that the Professor could see her from his office, but he could and did. Lyra cried in the snow for what seemed like an eternity, wearing nothing but a simple worn-out shirt and a ruffled school skirt as wind played with her hair.

It was freezing out, but she didn't care; she just wanted to be away from everyone.

Meanwhile, everyone still stood frozen from the shock of seeing Lyralianna bursting into tears: no one had moved, save to get out of the girl's way when she'd pushed past them and bolted down the stairs. Scott had seen the whole thing but had chosen to stand where he was as Lyra ran away, but his eyes eventually moved to look at Logan, who had seemingly turned to marble.

"And you think I'm a dick?" Scott inquired, shaking his head before he walked away.

The man went back to his room and grabbed his jacket from his chair before walking back out and making his way down the stairs. No one stopped him, either; they just kept staring at Logan, who looked completely stunned. He hadn't realized what was actually going on until it was too late to take back his actions: he had smelled the elf in her room and had come inside to investigate. How was he supposed to have known whether the boy hadn't been doing anything wrong? He had been on top of her with no shirt on, and she'd had her shirt off. Granted, she hadn't been facing him, but how was he supposed to have known that? He had simply wanted to protect her.

When Kurt finally stood up, he quickly smoothed the kinks out of his tail before grabbing his turtleneck and putting it back on with shaking hands; Logan could see that a nasty bruise was already forming on his face, which only served to make the guilt he was already feeling sink in deeper. How could he have possibly assumed that Kurt Wagner, one of the most loving and trustworthy people in the entire academy, would forcibly do something wrong and immoral to Lyralianna? When Kurt had grabbed his coat and was just about to walk out, he stopped and patted Logan's broad shoulder with a three-fingered hand.

"I vould have done ze same zhing," Kurt sighed, giving him a cheesy smile. "I have to go get my Liebchen now."

Logan watched as Kurt bounded down the hall: he had to find Lyra and get her back inside since he already knew that she'd be somewhere outside despite the weather. The girl didn't trust herself enough to stay indoors when she was upset, and right now she was lonely, scared, and unhappy: a perfect combination of turmoil that could lead to things exploding all around her. When Kurt finally found her, though, he was a bit taken aback when he saw that she was crying in Scott's arms. He hadn't expected to see it, especially since they didn't like each other, but Scott could actually act like a decent person sometimes.


	12. Chapter 11: Mits, Maladies, and Miracles

**Chapter Eleven: Mittens, Maladies, and Miracles**

Lyra leaned against the wall, her crying wearing thin as the winter wind blew against her face and lifted her silver hair away from her shoulders, which made the girl shiver violently. The cold was slowly starting to take its toll on her as she sat there in the snow, but she continued to sit there with her knees against her chest despite that until she heard someone calling her name.

"Lyralianna!" a male voice shouted; Lyra lifted her head to find Scott running toward her, but she was shocked to see that he was the only one who had come. Scott… out of all the people who seemed to care for her, he was the one who had come. Lyra looked up at him silently when he stopped directly in front of her, trying to act stoic when he glared at her from behind his glasses; however, when her eyes began welling up with more tears, his angry expression broke into pieces.

"Scott…" Lyra choked, throwing her arms around his neck after he knelt down in front of her. She felt him stiffen for a moment, but then he relaxed and slowly wrapped his arms around her, patting her back and trying to sooth her as she cried. She couldn't help it anymore, and she didn't care if it was Scott who witnessed it. Surprisingly enough, he actually sat with her as she cried, still embracing her. She merely cried on his shoulder, shaking from both the cold and the strain of her raging emotions.

Moments later, though, she heard a small gasp and turned to find Kurt standing there.

"K-Kurt…" Lyra whispered, sniffling as she looked at him.

"Frauline," he breathed, hurrying over with his coat in hand and falling to his knees beside them. He was panting and looked frantic, but he took Lyra's hand when she reached out to him, pulling her into his arms and hugging her fiercely. He quickly wrapped his coat around her in a quick attempt to warm her up from the cold.

"I'm cold," Lyra mumbled, shivering uncontrollably.

"Your lips are very blue, Liebchen," Kurt noted with a frown, gently brushing his thumb over her lips; when he tried to pull her upright, Lyra yipped in pain since her legs didn't want to bend properly. It also hurt trying to stand up on her own, and when she was standing fully upright, the girl lost her balance with a yelp the instant he let go and was forced to cling to him.

"We have to get her inside," Scott muttered, getting up and running toward the mansion. Kurt did the same thing, only he swept Lyra into his arms and held her against his chest as he ran, making sure to keep her bundled up. When he got to the doors, Scott held them open, ushering him inside and into the living area, which was close to the fire. A few of the kids who were still up and awake moved out of the way to make room for her, although several were alarmed by her appearance.

"Peter, help me move this couch," Scott said to a large boy who was sitting in the room; the two of them quickly moved the couch closer to the fireplace, where Kurt then set the small girl down. She shivered violently as she watched them.

"Quickly, we need blankets," Scott said, flipping out a bit.

Lyra had never thought he'd be so concerned for her wellbeing since he'd never really seemed to care about it in the first place. It was around that point she started to fall asleep, unable to stay awake any longer due to her extreme exhaustion. Lyralianna could hear the frantic running of footsteps and desperate talking around her as people hurried to help, but she was half-awake and too tired to listen. Before she knew it, her clothes had been removed and she was covered with thick blankets.

That was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep.

**TXXXXXT**

Everyone watched as she slowly fell asleep.

Her face was still pale from the cold, her lips were blue, and her fingertips were faintly black. Frostbite was never a good thing, but they could reverse it since it hadn't had a chance to fully develop. They brought Hank in to take care of it, since they didn't want anyone sitting around and staring at her the entire time. Kurt seemed to be the most bent up about it: Scott had been watching him from the moment they'd come in, and he'd never left her side for a second, not once. The man could tell that the boy felt something for her, but he didn't let himself think about it.

Not having Jean around was hard enough on him.

"Kurt, maybe you should go to bed," Scott murmured, trying to get the blue-skinned boy to stop worrying about her as much, even though he already knew what the kid was going to say. "I'll keep an eye on her for now, if you'd like me to."

_"Nien,"_ he muttered, holding Lyra's cold hand in his own and trying to warm it up as Hank took care of her other appendages.

It was definitely a change for everyone: this was the first time they had ever seen sweet-tempered Kurt like this, or even experienced living with someone as antisocial as Lyra. Scott had never been fond of her, but he had his reasons: in all honesty, she reminded him a lot of Jean Grey. It hurt him to see Lyra like this, it really did: she was strong like Jean had been, her powers were monstrous and uncontrollable, yet she tried her best to control them and help everyone when she could.

However, she was terrified of everything, and that alone made her more vulnerable than Jean.

"Vill she be alvight, Hank?" Kurt asked, letting his eyes shift over to the furry blue man beside him.

"Yes, she'll be fine, Kurt," the Beast replied, glancing back down Lyralianna's pale face as he washed her hands with hot water to get the circulation back into her fingers. "Although, I'm afraid that she'll probably be sick for a while. After listening to her breathing and examining her chest, she might have developed a mild case of pneumonia, but I can't be sure yet."

As they sat there taking care of her, a few students watched: some of them were curious, others were worried, and some were scared for her. Meanwhile, Logan was talking with the Professor about some things that were troubling him. He was fairly upset with himself and needed to properly sort out his mind. He knew that he had overreacted, but he couldn't help it: there had been such a great need to protect her that he'd blacked out for a few moments. He didn't understand why he felt this way about Lyra, but he did: his instincts were telling him that he needed to protect her, almost like a part of her well-being was his greatest responsibility.

Even though he knew for a fact that it wasn't, he was confused.

"Logan, you really must calm down," the Professor told him, carefully wheeling his chair beside him; he hadn't seen Logan this distressed in quite some time, but he knew why and it made him smile. "I can tell that you care a great deal for Lyra, Logan… she's the first person in years to look at you without fear, am I right?"

Logan finally came to the conclusion upon hearing the Professor's words.

"She's like my kid, Professor…" he said quietly, making the Professor smile even more broadly.

"She's a little girl in your eyes," Charles stated, watching Logan closely. "She's like the daughter you've always wanted."

"How do _you_ know that I've always wanted a daughter?" the man instantly snorted in alarm, doing a serious double-take until he remembered who, exactly, he was talking to. "Oh, right… for a moment, I actually forgot that you were psychic."

"If you're that worried about her, you can always go check on her," the Professor informed him; the man instantly turned to walk out of the room. "Ah, I believe that she's lying in the living area in front of the fireplace at this very moment."

When Logan arrived in the living area only a minute later, he saw that the Professor had been right.

Lyralianna Andrews was sleeping on the couch, which had been pulled in front of the fireplace. Kurt was also asleep, head resting on her lap with her small white hand clasped in his large blue one. Hank and Scott were standing nearby and talking quietly with one another, but when Scott caught sight of him, he made his way over to the Wolverine with an irritated.

"Logan," Scott started, but the man only moved away from him.

"I already feel bad enough," Logan admitted, trying to move away from Scott.

"I know, and that's why I'm not gonna be a pain in the ass," he hissed before walking into another room; that hit Logan deeper than a lecture would have. He wanted to growl and yell, but he didn't want to wake up Lyra or Kurt. The man sighed heavily and stepped over to them, glancing down at the two unusual teenagers. Lyra was sprawled on the couch with heavy blankets covering her nearly naked body, and Kurt was sitting right there with her. His large hand was intertwined with hers, and his head was resting on the couch with his yellow eyes closed. Logan could easily tell where he had hit him: his left eye was swollen shut, and his cheek held a nasty bruise.

He also noticed that, once again, the boy had no shirt on.

Although Logan couldn't blame him, given the fact that he was sitting so close to the fire.

The Wolverine came up behind the couch and grabbed the top of it with his hands. He looked down at Lyra's sleeping face and felt a little guilt washing over him. He wished he could take it back but he couldn't, so he decided to leave her there with the blue-skinned demon, already knowing that the boy would take care of the little angel. Logan, Kurt, and Scott… the three of them continuously watched over her in their own ways, ensuring that nothing bad could happen to her.

Little by little, she was changing them.

And little by little, they were changing her.

**TXXXXXT**

Today was her second day on the couch, but luckily she was actually wearing her clothes this time around. Lyra had flipped out when she'd woken up the previous morning and found that she was wearing nothing but her bra and underwear. At the moment, Lyralianna was sitting with Rogue, who had—very surprisingly—come to visit her. After explaining what had happened to the seemingly disinterested brunette, she had asked for a favor that had made Marie's crude personality do a total u-turn.

Lyra was now sitting with a crochet hook in her hand and a ball of thick yarn in her lap: she was making something for Kurt and was having Rogue help by lending her hand. Lyra needed a reference for a shape to make a proper pair of three-fingered mittens, but she was having trouble keeping her laughter restrained as she sat there watching her visitor. Rogue actually had a rare grin on her face, and the albino girl was trying to fight back a smile of her own at the moment.

"Is this really so amusing to you?" Lyra questioned, continuing to crochet the chain of yarn around her hand.

"Only slightly, Sugar," the brunette drawled, but Lyra knew better: Rogue found this hilarious.

"Or maybe it's the fact that you'd prefer me to make you a pair instead?" Lyra asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Maybe," Rogue snorted, making Lyralianna smile. "You think you could make me a hat when you're done with this?"

"Of course, I'd love to!" Lyra giggled, continuing with her work. "I think I'm going to make Kitty one, too."

The silver-haired girl was actually having fun, not to mention that she was also enjoying Rogue's company. Lyra had to keep her hand still a few times because the girl kept moving it deliberately. For some reason, Rogue loved playing around and finding tiny ways to make physical contact, trying to see what she could get away with before Lyra decided to correct her. To be honest, it was rather entertaining at times: she would move this way and that, and Lyra would have to grab her hand in an attempt to keep her still. Rogue enjoyed pushing her buttons a bit here and there, but it was good-natured.

"Would you just stay still?" Lyralianna laughed, making another grab for the brown-haired girl's hand.

Although, when she was finally done with the first mitten, Rogue decided to get up and play around a bit. Lyra laughed when she started pecking at her with the fuzzy thing, pretending that her hand was a bird. She swatted at it when the brunette tried pecking at her head, but that didn't seem to work very well: she just kept right at it for a good five minutes before Lyralianna decided to try and get up.

That was a big mistake: the second the small girl put weight on her legs, she ended up collapsing and falling to the floor on all fours. Shaking her head as her arms shook violently, Lyra attempted to climb back onto the couch with little result. She hadn't thought that her body would be this weak since she'd felt fine a second ago, but she'd definitely been wrong. Rogue immediately came running when she realized that Lyra couldn't move, helping her back up and onto the couch.

"You alright, Sugar?" the brunette asked, voice full of concern.

"I didn't think I'd be that weak," Lyralianna whispered, not exactly realizing she'd said it aloud.

"You're not weak, Darlin', you're just sick is all," Rogue said, hesitantly pulling off her glove and quickly feeling her forehead before snatching her hand away. She did this several more times, trying to make sure that her powers couldn't latch onto Lyra's life energy the way it had last time. The silver-haired girl stared at her with calm yellow eyes while she did so: for some reason, Rogue's hand felt good against her skin, nice and cool.

"Maybe I should let you rest for now," Rogue said doubtfully, donning her glove and making to get up; however, Lyra grabbed her hand before she could walk off and the tall girl froze almost instantly.

"Wait, um… it… it's still early, and besides… we still have one more mitten to finish," Lyralianna protested, not wanting her to leave: she didn't want to be alone, nor did she want to sleep at the moment. Rogue slowly looked down their interlocked hands and after a moment of thought she sat down next to Lyra on the couch, picking up the yarn and crochet hook for her.

"Alright, Sugar, but you're gonna have to go to bed some time," Rogue said with a light chuckle; Lyra smiled at her, glad that she had decided to stay for a while longer. She needed the company more than the brunette realized at the moment.

"Thank you…" Lyralianna sighed, taking the yarn and crochet hook from her. She soon started working on the second mitten, the chain of yarn weaving around the girl's wrist and slowly up her hand. It took a little while, but the silver-haired girl eventually came close to finishing it. It didn't take long before Lyra started to grow tired, though: she started nodding off at random points before quickly shaking herself awake. Rogue found this to be rather amusing to watch, and she couldn't help but laugh at the girl's tired determination. Eventually, though, Lyralianna ended up falling asleep with her head on Rogue's lap.

Marie D'Ancanto watched the girl as she slept: after countless times of nearly falling asleep, the brunette had decided to rest her head in her lap. She had lain there for a few moments, desperately fighting to keep her eyes open, but eventually she just couldn't. The brunette was surprised when Lyra had curled into her and had tried to absorb as much warmth as possible.

She was growing more comfortable around the people at the Academy every day, even growing to trust _her_ a little more.

Even though she would never admit it out loud, Rogue rather liked being in the tiny girl's company and tried to do it as much as possible without seeming weird. In a way, it seemed to lift somewhat of a weight off of her that she hadn't realized was there. Well, actually, that was a lie: she had known it was there for years, she had just never known how to fix it.

That is, not until now.

After thinking about the last few months a few days prior, Rogue had abruptly realized one morning that Lyra's presence seemed to have an extremely positive effect on everyone in the mansion. For instance, she knew from experience that Scott was a major ass, yet he was starting to lighten up a bit because of Lyralianna. And Wolverine… Lord have mercy, _Wolverine:_ Rogue had known that man for a very long time, and he wasn't easily tamed by young females like Lyra. Depending on who it was, Logan didn't even give a damn about them, but that wasn't the case here. There was even something about the Professor that Rogue couldn't put her finger on, but she knew it was there.

Unfortunately, Rogue also knew that the girl had caught Magneto's eye without even trying: she didn't like that man at all, for he had kidnapped her and tried to use her powers in an effort to destroy the non-mutant part of mankind. That was how she'd gotten the silver streaks in her hair: it was a memento of that terrible battle.

Now she was afraid for Lyralianna: Magneto hadn't shown an interest in the mutants at the academy since that night, and there was no doubt that it would only be a matter of time before Magneto made another attempt to take the small girl. Although, he'd never manage lay a finger on her if Rogue had anything to say about it: she knew how cruel the man could be. The other problem that Rogue had come to realize… was her powers.

Lyralianna had powers that were far greater than she or anyone else realized, maybe even the professor himself.

Rogue knew because she had seen it and felt it during their joined contact.

She had more to her powers than a normal mutant, more variations of her abilities that exceeded what she currently used. Rogue prayed that she would never have to fight against Lyra someday: even though she was a bitch sometimes, Marie wasn't cruel and she knew that she wouldn't be able to bear it if she ever hurt this girl. She would try with all her power to avoid such a terrible thing.

"How's she doing?" someone asked from behind her; Rogue turned her head to find Logan towering above her, but he seemed a bit on edge and Rogue knew why: the events from the other day were still plaguing his mind.

"She's doin' a bit better," Rogue murmured, shifting her brown eyes back to Lyra. "She's tired, though, and the klutzy gal nearly hurt herself trying to get up earlier. Anyway, how's little blue's bruise doing?"

"He says it doesn't hurt as much," Logan replied, glancing at her for a moment. "I said I was sorry."

"You're just sorry that you didn't land the punch when you were sparring," Rogue retorted, giving a very faint laugh.

Logan grumbled something under his breath before turning around and stiffly walking away. However, despite his self-composed act, the girl smirked when she heard the sound of Logan's fist slamming against something in the hallway.

"Well, Sugar, looks like I made the big bad Wolverine mad," Rogue giggled, brushing a bit of Lyra's shimmering silver hair out of her face.

Rogue had to admit that Lyra was really pretty, even if she resented it.

After a moment of feeling infuriatingly jealous of her good looks, Rogue realized that Lyra was shifting around a bit, small hand clutching at her pants. Rogue frowned as she looked down at her, noticing that a thin layer of sweat was slowly forming on her skin. When the girl once again removed her glove and quickly felt her forehead, she realized that her entire body was hot. Rogue knew then that she had to get help.

Lyra was burning up with a fever.

**TXXXXXT**

_Her body was on fire, and the sound of voices filled her head as light engulfed the world. There was talking, crying, screaming, yelling—so many things at once that she couldn't even tell the difference between them. She couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. Then it was dark, and the only thing she could see were the stars above her, shining down upon a land of broken bodies and devastated buildings. With a jolt, Lyra sat up and looked around at the decimated landscape: she felt a horrible pain growing inside her as she gazed at it, almost as if she were being torn apart from the inside out. _

_It felt like her mind was being picked apart from the inside out. _

_'I can't breathe,' she thought silently as she struggled to climb to her feet. 'I'm so hot… my body hurts all over the place.' _

_"Come out and play, little Princess," a voice called teasingly; she knew that voice from somewhere, but where? Lyra looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the voice. After a moment she staggered backward and bumped into something as she tried to keep her balance, then all of a sudden she was thrown backward into a tree with a hand clasped around her throat. Kicking her legs as she fought against her assailant, Lyra struggled to see in the darkness._

_"There you are, Gem," he cooed, slowly running the back of his nail over her cheek ."So much trouble over a little girl." _

_"W-what do you… w-want?" Lyra choked out. The second she asked, her attacker's other hand slid up her shirt and Lyra froze in fear, unable to move as his grip tightened to the point of asphyxiation. Sharp pain lanced her breasts as he carved something into her skin, but only a second later a surge of power exploded from her body and she screamed. Her unseen attacker grinned before roughly throwing her to the ground, watching in triumph as she writhed. Lyra clutched at her stomach as an unbearable heat began to sear through her body: she looked down at herself to find that glowing blue marks were winding around her arms like living vines. _

_She instantly went cold: she recognized these markings somehow._

_"What do I want? What do I want?" the man sneered, stepping toward her. "__Why, I want to play..."_

_"Stay away from me," Lyra whispered, scooting back quickly and trying to get as far away from him as possible. _

_It did her little good, however, seeing how she simply backed up into another tree. _

_"Aw… no where to run?" he taunted, undoing his jeans as he advanced even closer._

**TXXXXXT**

"What you mean it has somethin' to do with her powers?" Rogue cried, throwing her hands into the air.

"What I mean, Rogue, is that her powers seem to be a catalyst of sorts," the Professor explained.

"I don't care about a catalyst, honey," the brunette scoffed, voice rising a bit in anger. "What's happening to her?"

"Ve should all calm down," Kurt murmured, lifting a hesitant hand.

In all honesty, he was really worried: this was the third time now that Lyra's powers had done something to her health.

"I'm afraid that I'm not entirely sure Rogue," the professor admitted. "I might be able—"

"NO!" Lyra suddenly shrieked, throwing her arms into the air and thrashing around violently as her hands sparked: the eyes of all three people in the room widened when she let out a screech and her entire body was engulfed with blinding blue light. Glowing marks suddenly seared across her forehead with a flash of light and began to wind down her face, twisting around like living vines and forming what looked to be a tribal tattoo: when the marks slid down her neck and began to sink to her clothes, the Professor instantly turned to look at the two stricken teenagers, but Kurt's eyes were huge and Marie looked ready to freak.

"Wake her up, quickly!" Charles barked, the urgency in his voice snapping them out of their stupors. Kurt instantly darted over to her and grabbing her wrists in his hands, trying to hold her still despite how loudly she was screaming and crying.

"Liebchen, vake up!" Kurt cried, looking at the blue marks in fright when they began to wind down her arms. "Vake up!"

"Come on, Darlin, open your eyes!" Rogue shouted, hurrying over and shaking her shoulders. "Lyralianna, wake up!"

"No… no… nooohohohoooooooooo!" Lyra shrieked, thrashing around violently and arching her back with a choking gasp as her screams were cut off.

She instantly struggled to breathe, arms locking to her sides and going completely rigid as her face twisted up in agony. It looked like something invisible was trying to attack her, and she couldn't seem to get away. Then the marks made contact with Kurt's hands: the boy gasped and went rigid in pain as the light burned onto him, turning red as it made contact with his skin before continuing up his own arm. The professor blinked and straightened up in shock when the boy let go of Lyralianna and stumbled into the wall, staring at his glowing blue arms in shock and fright: the red light slowly receded and disappeared as he stared at his hands, but that didn't make Kurt feel any less terrified by what had just happened.

"Lyralianna, wake up!" Rogue screeched angrily, clamping the girl's shoulders and lifting them into the air before slamming them back down with all of her strength. The girl's hysterical choking turned into a gasp for breath and her glowing blue eyes flew open wide: the moment she looked up at Rogue and saw the girl's frightened expression, Lyra clutched her arm and burst into hysterical tears as her entire body began to tremble. The girl was slightly taken aback, but she hugged her nonetheless.

"Lyra…" Kurt whispered over the sound of her sobbing, looking up from his hands and watching as the brunette pulled the silver-haired girl close to her chest. He watched as she held her there, feeling uncertain about what to do as those shimmering tears fell from her glowing blue eyes. However, as he stood there watching her cry, the glowing marks slowly began to disappear and her eyes slowly returned to their normal gold, leaving Lyra sitting weakly in Rogue's arms. Once all of the glowing had disappeared, Kurt bolted forward and hugged her right along with Rogue, giving her the only comfort could.

He didn't really know what else to do.

"I-I'm never g-going back to sleep again," Lyra choked out, shakily attempting to stand only to have her knees buckle under her weight. Marie and Kurt both caught her under the arms before she could hit the ground, and the brunette slowly helped the demon boy pick her up and hold her bridal-style in his arms; Kurt looked at the Professor for a long moment. He was wondering if the man knew why those markings had shown up on his hands.

"I vill take care of her," Kurt said quietly, turning and walking out of the room with Lyra cradled in his arms. Logan, who had just walked into the office and had seen the last of the girl's hysterical fit, watched them go with an unnerved expression on his rugged face. However, his eyes didn't leave Lyra's face until she wasn't in sight any longer.

"Where's the Elf taking her?" the feral asked, turning to look at the Professor.

"For now, merely to his room," he told him as he wheeled toward the door. "Logan, I ask you, please trust him?"

"Professor?" Rogue whispered, voice coming out unexpectedly shrill; the man instantly turned to look at her, and Logan blinked before staring at Marie in confusion. The tall brunette was staring at her hand with wide brown eyes, and her face had gone completely white, almost as though she had seen a ghost. She slowly turned to look up at them, eyes huge. "I… I wasn't wearing my gloves when I touched her, but it didn't have any affect. I touched Lyralianna with my skin, but it didn't hurt her."

_"What?"_ Logan scoffed, staring at her pale face with furrowed brows; the professor, however, merely stared at her with interested cerulean eyes.

After a moment, those eyes widened and he slowly wheeled over to her side.

"Give me your hand, without the glove," he commanded; when Rogue shakily touched him with her skin, the Wolverine was dumbstruck to see that nothing happened even after several minutes had passed. "Interesting… you still have your life-taking powers, but it's almost as if the way you bring them out has mutated into being dormant."

"What does that mean?" the girl asked, eyes wide. "They're gone?"

"No, Marie, that's not what it means," the professor stated calmly, looking up at her with a pleased smile, "it means that somehow, I don't even know how, your powers have finished developing much earlier than I anticipated. It means that you can now touch other people without having to fear the consequences of doing so: you are free from your burdens."

"I can touch…?" Marie whispered, trailing off in shock as her legs buckled; Logan caught her before she hit the ground, but he flinched when the girl shakily touched his bearded cheeks with both of her hands. Her brown eyes were large and full of tears as she ran her fingers over his face, her mouth split into the most genuine smile he had ever seen her wear. Quite unexpectedly, the girl threw her arms around Logan's neck and hugged him as she began to cry with joy.

"Come on, now," the man sighed, staring helplessly at the professor. "I don't need _two_ girls crying on me all the time."

All Marie could do was nod her head and cry: somehow, she was now able touch people without hurting them.

It was a miracle that had given her the life she'd been longing for.


	13. Chapter 12: Nightmares and Memories

**Sorry this chapter took so long! I've been really busy lately, so go ahead and enjoy the fluffy-ness and Angsty-ness of my brain!**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Living Nightmares and Forgotten Memories  
**

The walk upstairs was silent, neither one of them speaking a word to the other. Then again, it wasn't as though Lyra normally said much of anything anyway, and she was still shaken up from the nightmare. It didn't even seem like a dream because of how real it had felt: she could still feel the man's hand on her throat, squeezing it painfully as he tried to pin her against that tree and rape her. Merely thinking about the way his cold, bloodthirsty black eyes had been looking at her body sent a violent shiver running down the small girl's spine, and she quickly found herself hiding her face against Kurt's chest.

"It'll be alvight, Liebchen," he purred softly, shifting the girl in his arms a bit to open his bedroom door. Lyra didn't say anything when they went inside: he shut his door and locked it before walking over to his bed and setting her down it.

"Kurt…?" Lyralianna hesitantly whispered, watching as he pulled up the chair from his desk.

"Vas?" he asked, looking down at her with expectant yellow eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Lyra whispered, slowly bringing her knees to her chest and curling up. "Sorry for making you worry."

"Vhy?" Kurt asked in confusion, taking her hands in his own three-fingered ones and stroking them with his thumbs. "You did nozhing vrong, and zhis does not varrant an apology, Liebchen, All I vant to know is vhat just happened to you."

"I…I don't even know," Lyra admitted, slowly pulling one of her hands away and touching her throat. "I mean, it felt so real that it was actually more terrifying than any of the other nightmares I've ever had! I honestly thought I was there, running in the woods and trying to get away from that horrible man! When he finally caught me, I really thought I was going to get raped by him, Kurt, it felt that real… even now, I can almost still feel his hand crushing my throat… how badly it hurt."

As she was speaking, Lyra touched her neck and winced a little: Kurt's eyebrows furrowed when he saw the way she flinched, and he carefully pulled her hand away. However, what he saw shocked him: right there, on Lyralianna's slender throat, was the beginnings of a nasty bruise in the shape of an overly large hand. The blue-skinned boy brushed his finger against it gently, but he pulled back with a startled expression when Lyra flinched: his long ears instantly shot straight up.

"Liebchen, who vas zhe man in your dream?" Kurt asked, yellow eyes wide. "Do you remember vhat he looked like?"

"I… think," Lyra mumbled, thinking back a little bit, "he looked like the same person who attacked me and Logan."

"Zabertooth?" Kurt asked in a low voice, face darkening in an instant.

"I think that's what Logan called him," Lyralianna murmured, letting her eyes travel to his: she twitched when she saw how dark his expression had become, and on top of that she could almost see the gears turning in his head. It was almost like he was trying to solve a puzzle inside his mind, and judging by his expression it was most likely a very dangerous puzzle.

"You are certain?" he asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

"How _could_ I be?" the small girl asked, looking at him helplessly as her face screwed up. "All I know is that I'm scared."

"Liebchen, please… don't cry," Kurt murmured, lying down on the bed beside her and holding her tightly.

He rubbed her back and made shushing noises for a long while, stroking her satin-like hair in a quiet attempt to calm her. It seemed to help a great deal, but she was still crying and that fact made him feel unhappy. When Kurt had seen the forming bruise on her throat, he had immediately become livid: someone had harmed Lyralianna, and that was completely unacceptable in his book: he knew that whoever had done this to her needed to be stopped, but unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about it tonight. In fact, he didn't even have the will to leave her alone because of how afraid she was. Lyra needed him, and regardless of how enraged he felt toward her assailant, he wasn't about to go searching for a mystery villain and aimlessly leave her alone.

While they were lying there, he quietly managed to push his specially-crafted shoes off with his toes and moved so that she was resting against him, arms wrapped around her in a comforting manner. He could tell that the entire experience was physically and emotionally draining for her, so he decided that would have to do something special on Christmas... something that she'd never forget and would make her smile from ear to ear. He had an idea, but in order for it to work he'd need some help.

Still, Kurt was actually kind of surprised by how calmly and easily Lyra had taken to lying down next to him: she hadn't backed away, or gotten up, or any of the things that most people would have done if a demon like him had tried to help them... she had simply allowed herself to lie there with his arms placed around her protectively. He hoped that she was starting to develop a need for his company: he knew the small girl hated being alone, even if she never showed it.

Then again, no one really ever took the time to notice it: Kurt had only noticed because he was just like her.

"Kurt…" she mumbled sleepily, small hand curled around a small bit of his shirt as she nuzzled his chest. He had no doubt in his mind that she was trying to listen to the sound of his heart, which was currently beating rhythmically and gently. He was pretty sure that hers was doing the same now, especially since she had calmed down quite a bit since he'd lain down.

"Don't vorry, Liebchen, I'm not going anyvhere," Kurt quietly assured her, running a three-fingered hand through her long silver hair and sighing when he once again felt just how soft it really was: her hair was like the essence of liquefied satin, and it felt cold and cool beneath his fingers as he combed them through her hair.

Doing this seemed to put her at ease.

"You aren't?" she murmured, obviously almost asleep. "You won't leave?"

"Not vithout you," he chuckled quietly, smiling a little bit at the girl's earnest questions.

A short while later, Lyralianna's breathing mellowed out and her chest slowly rose and fell against his: the sight of her long white lashes dusting her closed eyes confirmed that the small girl was, in fact, finally asleep. He smiled a little as he looked down at her relaxed expression, fangs glinting a little bit in the light from outside: Lyralianna Evangeline truly was a beautiful girl, regardless of how other people felt about her uncontrollable powers. To him, it seemed as if her glossy silver hair shimmered like iridescent snow whenever it caught light of any shape or form: her thigh-length locks reflected all luminescence as though the strands were made of living diamonds that had somehow been mixed with moonlight. Her eyelashes were long and matched the color of her hair, and her vibrant yellow eyes were like two gems full of fire.

She was a beautiful person... too beautiful for someone like him. Yet, here she was: lying in his arms.

Kurt closed his eyes with a purr, trying his best to relax… which wasn't that hard with Lyra beside him. However, he woke up somewhere around two in the morning to the feeling of Lyra shaking violently: the small girl had started struggling a bit in his arms, and when he glanced down he noticed that she was covered in a light sheen of sweat. The moment her hands started to spark with electricity and shone with blue light, he held her close and drew her powers into his own body.

"Liebchen, it vill be alvight," he whispered into her ear; unfortunately, his words didn't seem to work as well as he'd hoped they would because she continued to struggle against him. It was only then that he noticed her arm: he slowly lifted his hand and turned her wrist towards the ceiling, eyes widening when he saw a bruise rapidly forming in the shape of a large hand. The problem was that it hadn't come from him: the print had five fingers and was far too big.

"N-no... s... t... op..." she whined weakly, muscles weakening as tears slid from behind her closed eyes and trickled into her hair.

"Liebchen?" Kurt murmured, shaking her a little and trying yet again to wake her up. "Liebchen, vake up!"

"K...urt..." Lyra whimpered in her sleep, struggling further against whatever was plaguing her mind. "Help me…"

Her voice came out as though she were in pain: whatever was happening was hurting her.

"Lyralianna, vake up from zhat dream of yours,…" Kurt whispered into her ear, moving to rest his forehead against hers before kissing her blazing skin.

The moment he kissed her, it was like something changed: her struggling stopped for a long moment and she began breathing properly. The girl then let out a whimper before opening her startling yellow eyes only a minute later. Her face was normally very pale, but now it was a flushed from hyperventilating: her sparkling irises were scared and frantic, shifting quickly all over the place until they landed on his face; she instantly began shaking in his arms.

"Don't leave me alone," she whined, clutching at his shirt.

"Lyra…" Kurt whispered, staring down at her neck in shock: she was bleeding from huge teeth marks that had somehow punctured her skin, but the part that frightened him… was the fact that there had been no one else in the room.

His blood turned cold.

Someone was attacking Lyralianna through her dreams.

"I thought I was going to die before I woke up…" she whispered, face screwing up as more tears started streaming down her cheeks; Kurt's eyes snapped open wide in surprise when Lyra let out a strangled sob and abruptly buried her face against his chest. She hiccuped and fought to stop crying, but by that point there was nothing she could do other than cry or blow up.

"Liebchen…" he sighed, placing his forehead against hers. "Please, stop crying?"

"Why can't I do it anymore?!" Lyra unexpectedly wailed, finally breaking down and squeezing her eyes shut as tears started trickling from them. "I can't act like I don't feel things anymore! I can't remember how I can use my mask if something happens again! I can't even remember how I survived by hiding everything from everyone! It hurts! I don't want to be alone, but I can't stay together with everyone, and I don't know how to go back! I can't remember anything, and now I can't go back to being alone! If you disappear or something happens to you, I won't be able to survive anymore! I'll never be able to... never... I want... no more..."

Kurt's ears drooped when the girl's hysterical words devolved into unintelligible bawling.

"It is alvight…" he mumbled, stroking her cheek softly as she continued crying hysterically. "Nozhing will happen to me… I have been fighting and battling for years, Liebchen: zhere vas a time when all of us vere almost destroyed, too…"

"B-b-but, I…" Lyra hiccupped frantically, clutching his arms as her eyes snapped open wide. "I'm in a prophecy! I'm in a horrible prophecy about some sort of doomsday thing! It'll be my fault! It's always been my fault! Everything I love will die, it always has, and I-I… I can't do anything! I can't control it! It'll happen, and I don't want it to! I want it all to go away!"

"Don't cry…" Kurt pleaded, looking thoroughly unhappy and at a loss of what to do. "Ve vill figure somezhing out."

"I just want this madness to stop," Lyra whined, fighting back her tears with everything she had. "I want it to end… I want to be happy..."

"Vhy don't ve go see ze Professor, zhen?" the demon suggested, sitting up a bit and thumping his tail enthusiastically when the albino girl sniffled and stared at him with trembling lips. "Zhere might be somezhing he can do to help us!"

"Okay," Lyralianna whispered, closing her eyes tiredly.

"I vill go get ze Professor," Kurt chuckled, but then he paused for a moment. "Vould you like me to go get Logan?"

"Yes," Lyra peeped weakly, eyes watering as she lay on her side and pulled her knees to her chest; Kurt gently brought his three-fingered hand up to Lyra's face and rested it gently on her cheek, making her fiery yellow eyes flick to his face.

"It vill be alvight, Liebchen, I promise," the boy murmured, looking at her with his own yellow eyes aglow.

Then he got up and moved towards the door before poking his head out and disappearing with a familiar buggy-puff of dark blue smoke. Lyra fought back the urge to cry again as she curled up and cursed her emotions for being so troublesome. She had never lost control of herself like this… but everything she had said was true, and it terrified her: she had forgotten how to wear her mask in times of trouble. All of the emotional self-defense techniques to keep people from getting close were fading away.

After what seemed like an eternity, the sound of footsteps came running toward the room and stopped abruptly in front of it; Lyra glanced up to see Logan standing there with a look of worry plastered on his face. The moment he saw her face and the tears that were still streaming from them involuntarily, he slowly began moving into the room as his eyes narrowed in dismay.

"Kid?" he called hesitantly, sitting down on the bed and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Sorry," Lyra mumbled, frantically rubbing her eyes in an effort to get rid of the tears that wouldn't stop flowing; her face screwed up in irritation as she rubbed her streaming eyes with several squeaky hiccups.

"Lyralianna Evangeline…" Logan grunted, pulling the limp girl upright and embracing her. "You had better stop crying before I smack the hell out of ya: I don't like overly weepy women, little girl, and seeing you like this is really bothering me."

It was then that the girl started crying all over again: sobbing, hiccupping, and gasping for air as she buried herself in his overly large arms. She wanted someone to rescue her, but she was trapped among a sea of people who cared about her: she was trapped by her own future, with no way to escape from it… and it was killing her, because they were the ones who would be suffering in the end. They were the ones she would be hurting. Unfortunately, it didn't take very long for Logan to notice the bruises that were forming on her body… but when he saw the punctures on her neck, a growl erupted from his throat.

"I know that hand," Wolverine hissed, eyes narrowing as he grabbed Lyra's arm and inspected the bruise; the albino girl was scared by the look on his face: even though she knew it wasn't being directed towards her, she couldn't stop shaking.

"Lyra, dear?" someone called.

"What?" the girl squeaked, rubbing her eyes in a futile attempt to compose herself before she looked up: the Professor was sitting in the doorway with Kurt standing by his side. When the boy glanced down at him, the Professor gave a subtle nod and he instantly bounded over to the pale girl. Lyralianna felt like a child when Kurt knelt down before her and cradled her face gently in his hands: she stared at his expression with watering eyes even he wiped away a few of her tears with his thumbs.

"Shh…" he whispered softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "It vill be all vight, ja?"

"Kurt," Lyra whispered, staring into his smoldering irises as he smiled.

That was the moment it happened.

Lyralianna's large golden eyes snapped open wide and the incessant flow tears halted when she felt her heart thump violently inside her chest: almost immediately, she noticed how his burning yellow eyes seem warmer than usual… seeming to soften into soft embers. The girl couldn't look away from his eyes: it was like she had been enchanted by them, but at the same time there was a weird feeling spreading throughout her entire stomach. Her breathing slowly began to calm down as she stared into his eyes with a blank expression: her heart thumped a second time when he squeezed his eyes shut and grinned.

Then he opened his molten eyes again and all of a sudden, it was like the world had dissolved. Lyra sat still as a statue as her heartbeat began to slow, eventually coming to a near halt as she gazed into those burning pools; she felt the room, the academy—the world in general—dissolving into yellow sparkles that soon meshed into darkness, leaving her alone inside of it. It was like she was seeing the sun for the first time ever, so clear and bright that it was blinding.

She had been captivated by his eyes.

"W-what's…?" Lyralianna tried to whisper, tightly clutching her shirt and shivering when her heart painfully began to speed up and skipped several beats, making her breathing become erratic with emotion. Kurt frowned worriedly when her golden eyes widened and she gaped at him with shaking shoulders, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

_I can't… my mouth… I-I…_ Lyra thought hazily, struggling to speak as her heart quickened. _I can't… talk…_

"Vhat is it?" Kurt asked, feeling her forehead with a gentle hand. "It is not anozher fever, is it?"

Lyra simply cocked her head to the side with an uncomprehending expression; however, when she suddenly doubled over and clutched her chest as though she were in pain, everyone tensed. Lyra wordlessly lay back down, not taking her wide eyes off of Kurt's glittering gaze: she felt as though she had just discovered something unbelievably precious, only she didn't know what it was and had no idea what to do with it. For some reason, she couldn't look away from his eyes: to her, it felt like as though just being near him would actually keep her safe. She didn't understand why his presence suddenly made her heart burn like fire.

"Professor," Kurt called, turning around and nodding at Lyra with a worried expression; the man rolled over, gently taking the girl's face in his warm hands.

Lyra could hear the sound of his breath being drawn in quickly upon seeing her neck.

"Dear Lord…" he whispered, carefully brushing his finger against her throat: Lyra instantly squeaked and sucked in a large amount of air as pain seared through her skin. The albino girl had to bite back more tears as she sat there, muscles tense and eyes squeezed shut as he probed her neck with his fingers: even though he was being gentle, it still hurt with even the slightest pressure, and she didn't like it at all. Lyra could feel him trailing his fingertips over the puncture marks on her throat, being as careful as he possibly could: the man could even see the imprint of nail marks on the girl's neck as well, faint punctures from the black claws as well as the teeth. Lyra nearly burst into tears all over again when he ran his finger over a particular spot, and the way she jerked and let out a strangled whine made his eyebrows furrow.

One spot was already a deep purple, almost black, and it was terribly painful to the touch.

"Professor… that hurts," Lyra whispered in a pained voice, the fear apparent in her expression; the man merely glanced up and stared at Lyra as he sat there in his wheelchair, but a concerned air soon began to rise around him. His cerulean eyes and fingers then trailed down to Lyralianna's arm, assessing the damage: the bruise was becoming ever more prominent on her overly pale skin as the minutes rolled by. Lyra's face twisted and she yelped when he touched it, gritting her teeth in pain.

"It is alvight, Liebchen," Kurt whispered helplessly as he brushed his hand gently against her cheek. Lyra could feel her stomach churning and twisting painfully, and her eyes widened: she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Trash can," Lyra choked out quickly. "Trash can, trash can, trash can!"

Logan quickly retrieved it, placing it in front of the girl just as she began to throw up. Lyra groaned as she sat there, body hunched over with her head down; Kurt held the girl's long silver hair back and out of the way while he gently gently rubbed her back. The girl soon found herself leaning towards him until her head was eventually resting in his lap with her eyes closed. Kurt merely sat there and held one of her hands while stroking her hair with his free one: Logan and the Professor sat there watching the two of them quietly; they really didn't know what to do... or at least Logan didn't.

"I think I shall have to give her a sedative," the Professor said, slowly wheeling toward the door.

"What's going to happen to me…?" Lyra whispered quietly, barely keeping my eyes open.

"I don't know, but I _can_ promise you one zhing," Kurt chuckled, grinning down at her reassuringly. "I vill be vith you until zis is over."

A few minutes later, the Professor came back into the room with something in his hand: it was a needle.

"Lyra," he murmured gently; when the girl met his eyes, she knew what he was holding and her heart thumped violently with fright.

"No... not a needle, I hate needles..." Lyra whined, squeezing her eyes shut as the Professor gently took hold of her arm, cleaning it with an alcohol pad. She whimpered and twitched when he pressed the needle into her skin. The sedative in question made quick work in tiring the albino girl: soon enough, Lyra found herself struggling to keep her eyes open; both Logan and Kurt were watching her carefully, watching her fight against the sedative's persuasive method. It was becoming a tiresome act to attempt since just simply falling asleep was a much better decision in her mind.

Shortly after, she was sent into a visionless darkness: no light, no color, nothing.

Just darkness.

Kurt swallowed uncomfortably when Lyra finally went limp with her head in his lap, three-fingered hands coming to a halt in her hair.

"Liebchen," the demon sighed quietly, closing his yellow eyes as he leaned back against his headboard. "Vhat do ve do now?"

"I suppose all we can do is merely let her sleep," the Professor admitted, frowning pensively as he turned toward Lyra's sleeping form, "but…I would like to try and see what has been bothering her."

Logan's eyebrows shot up.

"You're going to read her mind, aren't you?" Logan asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," he explained as he placed his hands gently on either side of Lyra's face. "Normally, I would only do such a thing with her permission, but… given the situation, it needs to be done for her safety."

The images came in flashes as he sifted through her mind, searching for the thing that had been causing her pain. Her mind itself was like a giant maze, with so many turns and dead ends, he started to wonder if he would ever find what he was looking for: it was as if everything had been scrambled around somehow. As he continued to sift through Lyralianna's mind, a powerful memory flashed in front of his eyes and he froze like a statue as he was reluctantly drawn into watching it play out.

It was something that he shouldn't have done, but he couldn't help it because of how unreal it seemed.

_The sky began to cloud over and it slowly began to rain as an abnormally pale child wearing a large hooded sweatshirt dragged a terrified Asian girl to the abandoned warehouse she'd been sleeping in ever since she'd run away from the foster home. The two of them ran inside to get out of the oncoming downpour and made their way into the back of the factory, where they all huddled down together and shivered. Mary, the Asian girl, began wailing hysterically while Lyralianna merely stared vacantly at the wall, too shocked to fully comprehend what had just happened to their family. Her entire body was shaking like a leaf.  
_

_"I'm going back home to Mommy and Daddy!" Mary suddenly shouted, stumbling to her feet and startling the albino sitting on the floor next to her. "Ryla-chan, they might still be alive! We have to go back! We can't just leave them there like that!"_

_"We can't go back, Mary!" Lyralianna squeaked desperately, clinging to her friend's hand and tugging gently; stray strands of her silver hair shone like starlight as it spilled from beneath her hoodie, and tears filled her sparkling amethyst eyes as the older girl tried to get up again. "Mary, no! No, you can't go back! Aside from us, our family is gone now! Please, don't leave me here all alone, please!"_

_"It's not true!" the Japanese girl wailed, flinging her short black hair around and burying her face in her free hand as she began to cry. "It's just not true! They can't be dead, Lyra, it's not possible! Maybe they're still alive! Maybe we can still save them! Please?! Can't we go back?!"_

_"It is true!" Lyra wailed, clinging to her sister's arm when she began to cry. "We both saw it! That guy shot them!"_

_"No! No, no, no!" Mary whined, falling to her knees as she burst into discordant sobs and covered her face with both hands. "Why are the two of us still alive when they had to die? No... why did that guy's arms fly off like that? There was so much blood… it was red everywhere, and now it won't come off of my clothes! What happened?!"_

_"I…" Lyra stammered weakly, feeling her heart thudding madly with fear when she remembered how her powers had gone haywire: the gun-wielding man had murdered their parents before turning the weapon on them, and because of that Lyra had accidentally killed him due to her… abnormalities. "I don't know..."_

_"Ryla-chan… you're all I have now," Mary whimpered, wiping her eyes and staring down at the small silver-haired girl through her wet bangs. "Will you stay here with me from now on? Forever and ever?"_

_"We'll stay here until morning, and then we'll all leave this town together," Lyra stated, pulling her hood down over her eyes and drawing her knees up to her chest in an effort to hide the fact that she was crying. "It'll be safer to travel if we aren't sleepy."_

_"It's useless, though…" Mary whispered; a pang went through Lyra's chest and she looked up, glittering violet eyes twinkling in the dim light as she stared at her crying older sister. "No matter how far we run away, we'll never escape from the law. They'll think we killed everyone and they'll chase us, so trying to run is useless."_

_Lyra's watering eyes saddened as she stared at Mary, but then she got an idea and brightened up: slowly closing her eyes as her expression twisted in concentration, Lyra slowly opened them again and lifted her hands: an enormous gust of wind went flying at the old toy pandas that littered the abandoned warehouse; the silver-haired girl then used the air currents to throw the stuffed bears into the air and made them do a swirling dance, grinning triumphantly as her irises flickered and began to glow blue._

_"Mary-chan, look!" Lyra squeaked with a mischievous grin, tapping the Japanese girl on the shoulder. _

_"Huh?" Mary asked, sniffing as she glanced up: her slanted brown eyes went wide, however, when she saw the floating pandas doing the circling dance around their heads. "W-what's happening? The panda bears are flying around the room!"_

_"This is supposed to be a secret, but I'm a magician!" Lyra replied with a giggle, comically rubbing her chin with her thumb and pointer finger like a proud man feeling her beard. "There's nothing I can't do if I put my mind to it! Watch this!"_

_Lifting her hands and grunting a little bit with her nose crinkled slightly, Lyra made the pandas swarm the Asian girl and bit her tongue with a giggle when the older girl let out a shriek of laughter: she was positively covered by fuzzy stuffed animals who seemingly wanted some attention. However, the girl soon made them fly into the air and focused with all of her might to make them keep dancing._

_"Eh...?" Mary intoned blankly, staring at the silver-haired girl for a long moment as her mouth hung open; then she blinked a few times and a huge grin split her young face before she tackled the smaller kid to the ground. "Amazing! You're amazing!"_

_"What are you—?" Lyra squawked, blinking rapidly in surprise when the older girl __protectively_ pulled her into her arms. Percy stared at the wall over Mary's shoulder as the pandas fell to the floor, no longer having any control over them due to her evident start. "Mary… why are you hugging me?"

_"No matter how many years pass, and no matter how many people chase us," the Japanese girl whispered into her long silver hair, "please, Lyralianna… don't leave me all alone. Don't ever abandon me, okay?"_

_"M-Mary..." Lyra whispered in horror, face twisting up as pain flashed across it. _

_"Please don't leave me alone…" Mary pleaded again. _

_"But I'm not…" Lyra stammered fearfully, shaking slightly as the Asian girl hugged her tighter. _

_"Please…?" Mary pleaded, quieter this time; the angel pulled away and stared at the girl's face, gauging her expression with serious amethyst eyes: she seemed confused by the action, hopeful that Lyra would say yes and terrified that she would say no at the same time. _

_"R... really?" Lyra whispered as a vulnerable expression crossed her features; then, with gentle movements, she slowly took out her colored contacts and looked up at the Asian girl with trembling lips. "Even if I look scary and my eyes are... like this?" _

_"Eh?" Mary whispered, slanted eyes widening when she noticed the fiery yellow color of Lyra's irises; after a moment of blinking, Mary sighed and hugged the younger girl before pulling away and kissing her on the cheek. "Nii-chan... you're you, no matter how you look! You're my little sister, which means that no matter what kind of power you possess or even how different you look compared to other people, I'm gonna be here for you! We have to stick together, okay?" _

_Lyra was taken aback by the girl's affectionate actions. _

_"You promise?" Lyralianna whispered, yellow eyes filling with tears._

_"Yes!" Mary assured, getting up and taking the smaller child's hands. _

_"Wait a second, where are we going?" Persephone asked, clutching at Mary's arm as she fought to remain seated. "You aren't going to talk to any policemen, are you?"_

_"Um..." Mary intoned, trailing off and staring at the ground; Lyra blanched and grabbed the larger girl's shoulders._

_"You can't!" the angel cried hysterically, but then shielded her eyes when several blinding lights unexpectedly illuminated the room they were huddled in. Just before Mary pulled the girl down and held her close, Lyra managed to see through the glare and spotted a whole team of armed policemen holding machine guns in their arms. Two other men were conversing out of her earshot, but they seemed to be arguing about something. She frowned and squinted to see a bit better, but then one of the arguing men shook his head, stomped his foot, turned his head, and shouted an angry command.  
_

_"NOOO! DON'T SHOOT US!" Mary shrieked, clutching Lyra to her chest as a deafening cacophony exploded into the world. The silver-haired girl's fiery yellow eyes instantly erupted with blinding blue light and a protective cocoon of liquid __exploded _ out of the air; the bullets seemed to be moving in slow motion as the angel froze the water in front of them with her mind, shielding her sister and herself from the murderous weapons.  


_"It's all right, Onii-chan," Lyralianna whispered blankly, long hair billowing around her torso as she focused her powers; when the men stopped firing, the silver-haired girl glared before getting to her feet and lifting her arms. Stomping forward and twisting her body like a dancer, the girl began to throw lightning bolts at the men before stomping forward again and flinging her arms out to the side: vines instantly exploded from the ground and destroyed the concrete before flying at the men, and with another twist of her hands she used her control over the air to send boxes, shelves, and other projectiles flying straight into the armed group. _

_"They're trying to kill us!" the Asian girl cried. "They're all trying kill us! They think we're the ones who murdered Oto-san and Oka-san!"  
_

_"They won't hurt you! I won't let them!" Lyra cried, whipping around and pulling Mary to her feet before she stood protectively in front of the Asian girl with her arms spread wide. Maryng several carefully aimed strikes with boxes, vines, and lightning bolts, the angel effectively made the men scatter or sent them sprawling. After that she glanced up at Mary—who was whiter than a sheet and shaking violently. "I'm a magician, remember? No one can get to us! Don't worry, Mary, I'll protect you!"_

_"How are you doing this?" the Asian girl whispered, shaking her head. "You're so amazing..."_

_Lyra smiled a little and waited for the next attack, but nobody moved; they just stood there and stared, which seemed a little odd in her eyes. Most people would have been charging another assault by that point, so why weren't they doing anything? Lyra pondered it with a slight frown, but couldn't think of anything; however, without uttering a single word, Mary suddenly gasped and used all of her strength to shove her aside. At the same time, the sound of a single gunshot exploded through the factory and the Japanese girl let out a sound that seemed caught between a wavering gasp and a squeak. _

_Lyralianna's golden eyes blanked out as the girl's body tilted past her; she slowly turned her head and watched with an empty expression as the little girl fell heavily on her stomach, arms sprawling out at her sides. Mary lay there on the ground, unblinking, as blood began to pool around her torso; it was spilling from a hole in the back of her school uniform. Lyra's yellow eyes slowly began to widen and she opened their mouths as an unbearable pressure built inside her chest, but for some reason, no sound escaped her lips. She stood there, shaking, as the feeling writhed and churned inside of her stomach: Mary's eyes slowly fluttered closed. _

_Shoulders shaking, Lyralianna finally let out a horrified screech that shook the walls of the building before she fell to their knees. The angel frantically lifted the Asian girl onto her lap and desperately shook her shoulders, tiny hands clutching her shirt._

_"Mary! Get up! Say something!" she shrieked, eyes wide as she burst into tears and clutched the girl's arms with shaking hands. "Mary, you can't die! You can't! It can't keep happening to me! Why does everyone I love have to die?! No more! No more killing! No more death! Stop it all!"_

_"R-Ryla-chan..." the Asian girl whispered weakly, lifting her hand and touching her face. "I'll be... okay... so don't cry."_

_"No, no, no," Lyra croaked, lowering her head and weeping as her heart cracked. "You can't die! Why did this happen?!"_

_The girl's tears were cut off when another gunshot echoed from behind them: Lyra felt a searing sting as something grazed her cheek, tearing a few strands of her long silver hair from the roots. Her sparkling yellow eyes flew open as blood began trickling down her cheek: she had momentarily forgotten that they weren't alone, but now her heart was in her throat. The people who had shot her sister were still around, which put both of them in danger.  
_

_"It happened because there's no place for demons in the world of the humans," the man holding the gun sneered. Lyralianna slowly turned around as tears streamed down her fragile face: every man in the building was pointing a gun straight at them, but the girl glared at all of them so fiercely that it could have made the devil's blood run cold if he had been present. Unfortunately, though, she couldn't muffle the sobs that were escaping her lips. _

_"You came here because of me?" Lyra whispered questioningly through her tears, "B-but you shot her! You shot my sister! Why did you hurt her if you were trying to hurt me?!"_

_"Just give up and shut up," the man stated snidely, rolling his eyes sarcastically. "You can't run away from us."_

_"Mary doesn't have anything to do with me being a monster from the sky!" Lyra shrieked, clutching the Asian girl's immobile form close to her chest. "Save her! Save her! Save her, please, save her! I'm begging you!"_

_"Let's make a deal," another man stated, walking forward as he pushed his glasses up his nose. _

_"A... a deal?" Lyra asked, drawing back sniffling slightly as her eyes began watering again. _

_"If you surrender obediently, I'll save that little girl's life," the man confirmed. "If you don't, I'll kill you and let her die."_

_"I'll go with you if you save her! But you have to keep your word!" Lyra choked out instantly, crying quietly as she clutched close and buried her face in the girl's short black hair. "You have to keep your word and save Mary!"_

_"Yeah, I'll definitely keep my word," the man said confidently. _

_"Says the man who constantly lies to his superiors," a police officer snickered, rolling his eyes._

_"Fine, then do it right now! Keep your promise and save my sister!" Lyra wailed, setting Mary on the ground and jerkily standing up with her slender arms hanging limply at her sides. Upon close inspection of her body, shock spread across the ranks of officers: to the people looking at her, it was revealed that she was only four feet tall. Lyra braced herself before a man tackled her, but she was unable to muffle the yip of pain that escaped her lungs when he slammed her on the ground. _

_She winced when he planted his boot on the back of her neck; gasping and crying, the frail girl let herself lie motionless while the men cuffed her hands behind her back. It was painful, but she was going to let them take her for Mary's sake._

_"Are you really gonna save a girl with an injury as bad as that one?" another deputy exclaimed, catching Lyra's attention; she opened her golden eyes in time to see them put Mary on a stretcher and wheel her out of the room._

_"No," the man who'd spoken to her said simply. Lyra's eyes widened as the tears pooling beneath her cheeks froze, and that's when she finally lost control. With a clap of thunder and a blinding flash, the handcuffs exploded and the men pinning her to the ground flew backward as a bolt of electricity surged through her body. Her eyes flared bright blue only a split second before her waist-length silver hair flew towards the ceiling in a rush of gale-force wind. _

_Before the eyes of everyone present, a monstrous set of feathered white wings exploded out of her back in a shower of blue sparkles. White fire soon swirled around her torso like a burning cocoon; lighting bolts blew out the warehouse windows and ripped the brick walls to shreds with thunderous crashes; and wind threw shelves and other projectiles into the ceiling hard enough to latch them there. Her powers were reacting so forcefully that it hurt her._

_However, the sight of the glasses-wearing man shooting Mary in the head threw her over the edge. _

_The moment that gun flashed and her sister's body jerked, something in Lyra's mind abruptly went out and her eyes began to shine much brighter than they ever had before as a ringing sensation filled the air with an odd silence. In fact, the innate luminescence grew to such a powerful intensity that it appeared as though there were white beams of light shining several feet away from her. Then, the girl threw her head back and let out an inhuman scream that shattered the fabrics of nature: it echoed throughout the halls of the entire warehouse, reverberating against the stone, ripping through the streets, and rebounding off of the surrounding city—making everything it touched vibrate with life and power. People all over the city froze upon hearing it: somehow, a sense of impending dread swept through everyone. _

_Lyra took a deep breath as the power completely engulfed her and screamed again: long, piercing, otherworldly—the sounds avalanched through the air and made the earth seem to tremble. Pebbles danced on the ground as the very sky began to tingle with static electricity. Lyra took another deep breath and arched her back, letting out a third wail as her eyes shone brighter: this scream was the worst yet, and the power of it tore the fabric of space. Wind began to swirl around her and dust rose from the ground, shimmering as particles of dirt were caught by the spinning air current. Darkness began to gather all around, the power of the small girl's scream taking the very light away from the world, and pulling it to her the same way that her voice was pulling the air. _

_Light and Shadow encircled her as she released an ancient power long since forgotten. _

_The girl soon sat screaming in the center of a maelstrom of power as the light was sucked into her body. Darkness fell all around, sending an impenetrable shadow across the sun and placing the entire world in unbreakable shadow, even in the areas where no light touched it. Where the man stood, it was blacker than the deepest of nights: the light of the world had been stolen by Lyra's powers and now it was swirling around her—night around day. _

_Lightning tore out of her body and flashed violently across the sudden blackness of the Earth, cracking rapidly in every direction: forking, doubling, flashing over and over until the air seemed to burn. Thunder rolled throughout the countryside, coalescing into a continuous fury and mixing with her scream, becoming apart of it. The ground shook with the violence of the girl's power, and the wind swirled around her form so forcefully that the sturdy walls began to tremble against the gale. _

_Her fourth scream went beyond sound, however, and changed to something else entirely: all around, the earth cracked open in ferocious, jagged tears and shafts of blue light shot toward the sky from the chasms in the ground. The bluish curtains of light vibrated, danced, and—with gathering speed—were pulled into the vortex and sucked into the girl's body. In a brief—but tremendous flash of light—every single one of the surrounding windows was stripped of their glass in a huge cloud. _

_Screams of mortal agony erupted outside of the building soon afterwards, signaling that more than one person had been severely wounded by the blast of energy. Then, as her short silver hair slowly billowed up and lifted towards the ceiling once more, Lyra let out a final shriek and arched her back as a wall of blue energy exploded out of her body with a screech so loud it became silence. _

_Not even a second later, everything around her disintegrated and was sent flying toward the sky in pieces: walls, chairs, and flooring dissolved into nothing as they were torn from the ground, the buildings surrounding the warehouse were reduced to nothing but stone splinters that soon disintegrated, and the rocky ground itself broke away in the face of her immense power, exploding into the air and flying away from her in a shockwave of blinding lightning. The girl arched her back as everything was destroyed by her powers, clothes beginning to dissolve. When the power finally died away, the girl's hair swirled back down around her naked shoulders and she fell over: the little girl was currently lying on the one spot that hadn't been destroyed by her explosive display of power. _

_The Professor stared, slowly sliding out of her body and looking down._

_More accurately... Lyralianna Evangeline was lying in the middle of an uneven stone pillar that stood nearly seventy meters in the air around a huge circular chasm. Everything other than Mary's body was gone... including the people who had been attacking them. Charles saw nothing but the small silver-haired beauty lying unconscious on the large rock… but the last thing the Professor saw before the world went silent and slowly faded into white was the dead girl's growing pool of blood._

The Professor felt himself shiver as he opened his eyes, feeling sick because of what he'd just witnessed: no matter how hard he'd tried, he hadn't been able to find what he'd been looking for, and it was almost as if the source of the girl's dreams were somehow being hidden from him. The only thing that he'd managed to find was her tormented memories, that was it: he couldn't find the problem, but he knew that it was there somewhere.

"She's been through more trauma than I thought," he muttered, shaking his head in dismay.


	14. Chapter 13: Christmas Revelation

**Chapter Thirteen: Christmas Revelation**

_'Where am I?' Lyra wondered, staring at the darkness as her long white hair billowed around her naked body._

_"You are alive…" a masculine voice whispered, catching her attention with its ticking German accent._

_'What does that mean?' Lyra asked, golden eyes tired and blank as she fought to remember who she was._

_"You are breazhing…" the voice gently explained._

_'Breathing?' Lyra wondered, giving a slow blink as the shadows caressed her form._

_"Breath," the voice confirmed_

_'What is breath?' Lyra asked. "What does it mean to breathe?"_

_"It means you are alive…" the voice stated simply._

_'What does that mean?' Lyra inquired blankly._

_"It means you are brave to breazhe…" the voice soothed._

_'Brave? What does that mean?' Lyra asked, eyes slowly fluttering and sliding closed._

_"Bravery is somezhing you have," the voice explained. "Somezhing zhat lies deep inside every living creature that breathes. It is brave to breathe: you are brave to continue breathing, to keep going despite all of your faults."_

_'I am brave?' Lyra asked, eyes opening a little bit._

_"Yes." the voice confirmed_

_'And am I here for a purpose?' Lyra wondered._

_"Yes," the voice repeated_

_'What is that purpose?' Lyra asked._

_"To be brave, have courage, and take a breath. To live," the voice murmured. _

_'Bravery… Courage… to take a breath… to live…' Lyra murmured incoherently._

_Live._

_She remembered that word._

_She didn't want to do it anymore... the very sound of it brought crushing pain to her heart that wouldn't leave._

_"No... I don't want hurt!" the angel snapped, shutting the doors to her mind and huddling in the dark: nothing penetrated the silence as she finally descended further and further into her subconscious. The darkness and silence wasn't frightening; in fact, it was soothing after experiencing such a long time of whirling thoughts and mental traffic jams. The memories of who she was had returned... and she was giving up on being herself once again._

_This time it would be permanent._

_"I've only brought suffering to those I love… I need to stop it from happening again," the girl whispered, wrapping herself in a blanket of darkness as she finally lay down and closed her eyes, long white hair billowing around her as the world became calm. The black was absolute... unending yet solid, and even behind her eyelids she could see nothing and everything stretching before her. However, a tiny light abruptly broke through the darkness and cut through the shell around her like a knife, making her yelp: the crack instantly began to widen and more light spilled through to the blackness, dissolving it and blinding her. She instantly buried her face in her hands and cried._

_"Go away! Leave me alone!" the angel shrieked, curling into a ball and clutching her head. "Don't look at me!"_

_"I cannot do zhat…" the familiar German voice whispered sadly. "I love you too much now to let you go."_

_And like smoke in the wind, the darkness erupted with a bright light and a three-fingered hand reached out to her—_

—Lyra's yellow eyes abruptly snapped open and she clamped up like a turtle that had been caught out of its shell: her heart was racing a mile a minute and her entire body shook as she lay there, blinking stupidly at the ceiling and wondering where the hell she was. After a moment of shivering, she realized that the entire room had been lit up with bright white light and she slowly closed her eyes in relief: she was at the Academy and it was morning.

Then she happened to notice an odd sort of warmth emanating from her right side.

Slowly turning her head, Lyra blinked when she realized that Kurt was sleeping directly beside her and practically cradling her body in his arms. He was breathing slowly and evenly, his yellow eyes were shut, and he looked extremely relaxed. After a moment of blinking at his sleeping face, the albino girl swallowed and tried to ignore the fact that her face was burning like Mount St. Helen's when she lay back down.

For a moment, the girl merely stared at the blue-skinned boy and her yellow eyes softened.

She couldn't really fathom or understand how it had happened, but she was slowly beginning to feel accepted by the people of the mansion. Ever since the professor had gone through her memories to find out the cause of her nightmares, she had fallen into a deep state of depression. After almost a week of distancing herself from everyone, Logan literally dragged the girl out of her room and forced her to socialize with everyone she'd been ignoring.

Lyra was surprised by the amount of people who'd been worrying about her: Kitty had practically strangled her to death in a bear hug, Jubilee had painfully pulled on her ear and told her not to hide anymore, and _Rogue_ had purposely scared the _crap_ out of her by putting her bare hands around the albino girl's throat. When nothing had happened, the girl had mussed up her hair with a sigh before explaining the changes in her mutation.

Then Kurt had come up to her… and had merely hugged her with that cheesy grin of his.

All of that had happened the previous evening: she had spent the entire day talking to the people who had remained at the institute for the holidays for so long that she had worn herself down. She'd ended up tiring herself out so much that she had fallen asleep when they'd all sat down in the common room and watched a movie. He'd probably carried her up and then fallen asleep while watching over her. Lyra's yellow eyes watered as she looked at Kurt's sleeping face: she wanted to ignore the powerful feelings that had sprung up inside her, but she couldn't.

Loving someone was a terrifying thing for her to deal with: life was so fragile… and her positive emotions could destroy it.

All in all, she loved Kurt Wagner… she didn't know how he had broken through her walls or even how he'd managed to wiggle his way into her heart, but he'd done it. Somehow, he had become more dear to her than anyone else in the world, and it both frightened her and made her feel protective. Lyra slowly lifted her small hand and touched Kurt's dark-skinned cheek with gentle fingers: his left ear twitched a little and he mumbled something inaudible, but aside from that he didn't stir. She smiled a little bit and lowered her arm again, eyes sparkling as she gazed at him.

Today was special.

It was the morning of Christmas Eve, which meant that tomorrow was Christmas day. In reality, Lyra was so excited to give everyone their presents that she could barely contain it: she had bought and made everyone a Christmas present, and she couldn't wait to hand them out. With gentle movements, Lyra slowly lifted Kurt's long arm off of her side and slowly rolled out of his grasp: she had to keep quiet since she didn't want to wake him up just yet.

After all, she still had things to do.

After smoothing out her rumpled nightgown, Lyra tiptoed over to the bathroom and went through the door that led to her own bedroom. Once she was in the clear, Lyra flew over to her closet and pulled back the clothes, staring down at all the unwrapped gifts with shining eyes: she still had to wrap them, and she was going to get it done before tonight.

"This is for everything they've done for me…" she whispered, hurrying over to her bedroom door and locking it before doing the same to the bathroom door. "I'm going to make it perfect!"

Without any further thoughts, Lyra pulled out the presents and clumsily began wrapping them up with the paper the professor had given her. It took her a while to get everything situated, and she was kind of confused about how to properly wrap up the presents since she'd never done it before. After about thirty minutes of making the presents look like messy balls of wrapping paper, the albino actually debated on waking Kurt up to help her. However, that would have meant wrapping up the majority of his presents first. Lyra blew a strand of silver hair out of her eyes before she looked under her bed to find his bag in the far corner; gently leaning down on her side, the girl slowly slid herself under the bed before she remembered getting stuck last time.

With a frown, she slowly turned around and slid her legs beneath the bed and used her toes to snag the edge of the bag since her arms obviously weren't long enough to reach it. With a happy grin, Lyra pumped her fists in triumph before she pulled Kurt's stuff out of the bag; that smile of hers softened immensely when she looked down at the music box: the rosary was inside of it.

With gentle fingers, Lyralianna slowly lifted the lid and twisted the knob.

A gentle melody came out, sounding vaguely sad and haunting, but for the most part hopeful.

"I… hope he'll like this," she whispered, shaking her head before she wound the knob tightly and closed the lid again with careful movements: the moment it was shut, the music cut off and Lyra gently put the beautiful music box into an old shoe carton before wrapping it up. Then she wrapped up the mittens she'd made for him and giggled as she tied that present up as well. Both of them came out as the neatest-looking of all the presents.

Lyra bit her lip as she tied it up with a ribbon, brows furrowed in concentration. Then she added a tag and wrote Kurt's name on it: she knew that it would undoubtedly get his attention in the morning. When she was done, she curled the ends of the ribbons with a pair of scissors.

"Yay," Lyra giggled softly, holding up the perfectly wrapped gifts with a huge smile. Then there was a knock on the bathroom door and the attempted turning of the knob nearly made her faint.

"Liebchen, are you in zhere?" Kurt's voice called.

"Um, hold on!" Lyra squeaked, heart thudding wildly as she quickly stashed his presents underneath her bed; once she was sure that they were completely hidden, the tiny girl got up and practically pranced over to the bathroom door. When she opened it, she blinked when she realized that Kurt looked half-asleep: he was in the middle of yawning, and his large hand was currently raking through his messy blue hair. She giggled when he stopped yawning and looked at her: his striking yellow eyes were literally only half-open as he peered down at her with a curious expression.

"Sleep well, Kurt?" Lyra asked, still giggling a little.

"How could I not vith you by my side?" he asked,groggily cracking a sleepy grin that made the pale girl clamp up in surprise: her face immediately began to heat up, and the girl clapped both of her small hands to her cheeks in horror when she realized that she was _blushing_.

"Uh," the small girl mumbled, averting her eyes when her normally pale face turned crimson. "Okay?"

"Vhat is all zat for?" he asked curiously, pointing at the lumps of wrapping paper.

"Presents," Lyra explained, smiling as she latched onto the perfect way of changing the subject.

"So, you're doing zome last minute wrapping, zhen?" he asked, eyeing the wrapping paper that was lying on the floor .

"Yeah… actually," Lyra mumbled timidly, lowering her eyes when the heat in her cheeks and ears began to rise a bit, "I was wondering…"

"Vas?" he asked, nudging a bit for her to continue.

"Could you… could you help me wrap everything? up" Lyra squeaked, clamping her eyes shut in embarrassment and folding her hands together before she hunched her shoulders. For a moment there was nothing but complete silence, but then… Kurt let out a hysterical laugh before jumping forward and throwing his arms around her small shoulders.

"Of course, Liebchen, anyzhing for you!" he proclaimed, beaming at the girl so sincerely that it made his eyes crinkle around the edges. Somehow his yellow irises seemed to soften as he looked down at her: Lyra couldn't really explain how his eyes seemed to change as he looked at her, but they did… and the effect made her heart nearly thump out of her chest. That one smile was all it took to spark the daze from a week ago into action again… the world slowly dissolved, leaving the two of them alone among the presents in sheer darkness.

Lyra slowly sat down with him on the floor and began wrapping the presents, lost among darkness. It was a pleasant feeling that almost made her feel safe. Even though they weren't alone, this daze had made it feel that way. After several moments of doing this in total silence, Kurt sighed before moving beside Lyra and throwing his arm around her shoulders. She immediately looked up with a slightly zoned-out expression, staring at his yellow eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked, staring at his grin with half-lidded eyes; the girl squeaked when he kidnapped the teddy bear Kitty had given her and disappeared with a laugh; the darkness dissolved when he was gone, and Lyra quickly shoved everything under her bed.

With due haste, the girl slipped on her shoes and jacket before charging after him in her nightgown: he was waiting in the hallway, but he laughed when she stumbled out of her room and charged after him.

"Give back my teddy bear, you ignoramus!" Lyra squealed, nearly tripping over her own feet like a klutz as she plodded down the dormatory stairs with her silver flying. She chased him all the way outside… but when she saw him standing beside a familiar tree, her heart thumped and time seemed to halt when her eyes went wide. Long hair fanning out with a ripple of electricity, she glanced down at her feet and nearly keeled over when she realized her shoes were sparking each time she made contact with the ground. That's when she realized how she had done it.

Moving fast, that is: the electrical charges that constantly seared through her could literally cause her body to lose friction with the ground, thus allowing her to speed up while moving at an average pace. It was an effect similar to skating on ice: no friction, yet at the same time, controlled.

She had super speed.

With a fierce grin, Lyra looked up at Kurt and used her newest revelation about her powers to catch up to him alarmingly fast: with a squeal of laughter, she tackled him to the snowy ground.

"ACH!" he yelped, blinking up at her when she straddled his chest. "L-Lyra, how did you—"

"Because I'm awesome, that's how! Now give me my teddy bear back!" the albino girl laughed, snatching the furry animal from his hands and hugging it triumphantly. "I figured out how I was moving so fast, too… and now that I know what's causing it, I feel like I'm a bit safer."

"R-really?" Kurt asked, blinking up at her in surprise.

"Yep," the girl laughed, jumping off his chest and pulling him to his feet.

When he was standing upright and had busied himself with pulling the kinks out of his tail, the albino girl made a snow ball and threw it at him: he looked up just in time for it to hit him right in the face. Kurt yelped before ducking out of the way of another one; Lyra laughed and bent down, awkwardly making another snowball and throwing it at him. She aimed right for his butt as he ran: he yelped and clamped both hands against the base of his tail when it actually hitting her target. Lyra immediately thumped down on her backside and curled up from laughing hysterically.

"Zat's it!" he called, bending down and getting two handfuls of snow in his hands.

Lyra squealed and stumbled upright in an attempt to get away, but he merely teleported in front of her and tossed the snow down the back of her nightgown. The albino girl shrieked and hysterically flailed around, grabbing at her nightgown before falling on her butt like a klutz: when the iciness continued to slide against her skin, the girl started squealing in horror.

"IT'S COLD!" Lyra wailed, rolling around on her back to get the snow out.

Kurt merely stood there laughing, head tilted back and eyes squeezed shut. Once she finally managed to stand up and got it out of her nightgown, the albino girl glared at him: she could feel her powers slowly starting to act up, and her hands sparked as the sky overhead slowly darkened. However, a snowball unexpectedly hit Lyra in the back of the head and she felt down again. Shaking her silver hair out, she turned around to find Scott standing there with a smug look on his face.

"Cool it, Angel," he snickered.

"Angel?" Lyra asked, cocking her head to the side with a perplexed frown.

"Yeah, it's your new nickname," the man explained, slyly leaning down and picking up a bit more snow before packing it into a huge snowball. Lyra squeaked and quickly got to her feet before sprinting behind Kurt for shelter; when Scott threw it, it hit him in the back of the head.

"Ach! Cold!" Kurt exclaimed, brushing his dark hair out before looking behind him; then he glanced down at the silver-haired girl with curious yellow eyes, ears perking up a bit.

"Save me from the snowballs, Kurt," Lyra pleaded, peering at Scott with large eyes from around his waist; the man was repeatedly tossing the snowball in the air with an evil smile on his face. "Eek! Their evil coldness scares me more than the creepy smile on Scott's face! Save me, save me, save me!"

"Ja, ja, Kurt vill save you," he laughed, crouching down and grabbing some snow before chucking a snowball at Scott; the well-aimed throw hit the man in the face.

"Ooh, ow," Lyra hissed, wincing a little bit as she stood behind Kurt. "That looked painfully _cold_."

"Out of ze vay!" Kurt yelped cheerfully, grabbing the girl's shoulders and pulling her close to his chest as he ducked to avoid a snowball.

"Huh?" Lyra whispered, blinking a few times with large eyes before she blushed and glanced up at his face. He grinned at the girl and wiggled his long blue ears before rolling over her body: his tongue poked out and his eyes squeezed shut when he was hit in the head by a cold snowball. The expression was adorable, and merely seeing it made her face turn red. Then his eyes slowly opened again and he smiled at her, wiggling his elf-like ears once again.

"You okay, Liebchen?" he chuckled playfully, cocking his head to the side. "You are… ze color of a tomato."

"Eh? I am?" she squawked, quickly touching her cheeks with both hands. After a moment, she nodded before scooting out from underneath him and trying to stand up: unfortunately, this only resulted in having her foot catch on his leg. When she fell on top of him with a crash and a squeal, he immediately burst out laughing before staring into her eyes with a huge smile on his face. Lyralianna blinked when he gently pressed his forehead against hers, looking deep into her big eyes once their noses touching.

"Let us get him, Liebchen" he chuckled, watching as the girl nodded her head. After that, Lyra and Kurt broke apart and quickly got up, grabbing fistfuls of snow in their hands. They then threw the snowballs at Scott, causing him to duck out of the way and hide behind a nearby tree.

"Ack!" Lyra yipped, ducking as a snowball went sailing past her head.

"Liebchen, make a fort!" Kurt called as he scooped up some more snow and tossed it in Scott's direction; he pouted when it merely hit the tree beside the man's head. Lyra quickly started working on building a fort for the two of them: they needed some sort of shelter from Scott's reign of frozen terror. Lyra squealed when a snowball came flying towards her, missing her head by mere inches and shattering against the ground.

She blinked when she realized it had been an ice ball: in other words, dangerous.

"Hey! Zat one vould have _hurt_ my Liebchen!" Kurt cried in total shock before running after Scott, who in turn fled across the courtyard with several shouted apologies. Lyra had been caught off guard when he'd said '_my Liebchen' _though: she actually stared off into space with her heart fluttering wildly for almost a minute before reality popped back into her mind. Lyra shook her head and continued to make the fort, hoping to finish it before she got hit in the head again. Unfortunately, a huge snowball—no, more like snow-_boulder— _smashed into the tiny girl's back and literally sent her sprawling face-first onto the ground. The moment she was able to unglue her face from the drift she'd gotten stuck in, the girl took a breath and shrieked.

"EEEEK! COLD! Stop attacking me!" she wailed, turning to assault her attacker with large fists of snow in both of her hands; however, her pale face went beet red in surprise when she saw Logan standing there with a smug look on his face. "L-Logan! What on earth are you doing out here?!"

"So, I'm attacking you, am I?" the burly man questioned with mock curiosity, slowly cracking a grin.

"Um…I-I…" Lyra stuttered, not really knowing what to say.

"Need some help kid?" he gestured toward the fort she was making; Lyra nodded sheepishly and averted her eyes before she went back to the building the fort. She was extremely embarrassed by how openly she had reacted since showing any form of emotion was still unnerving to her. Lyra flinched when his hand unexpectedly clamped down on top her head; blinking a few times as she wondered what he was doing to her, the girl tried to look up at him only to have her face pushed deep into the snow as a deep chuckle vibrated her entire body: the iciness assaulted her almost instantly.

"Eek! L-Logan, no, stop!" Lyra cried, flailing around until he let her go; the moment she pulled her face free she began rubbing it incessantly, trying to warm it up from the cold. A few minutes later, the girl heard the sound of Scott and Kurt approaching: Lyra ducked down when the happy blue devil jumped over the fort and slid over to her on his back once he hit the ground. A barrage of about sixteen snowballs flew over the top of the fort.

"Hullo, Liebchen," he greeted with a smile.

"Uh, I thought _you_ were chasing _him_," Lyra giggled, gently pulling on his ear.

"Um, vell… about zat," the tall boy stammered, tail thumping against the snow when more snowballs continued to fly over the edge. "Ve have more company zince Rogue, Kitty, Bobby, and Jubilee zaw us playing and have joined ze battle. Zey all zomehow tag-teamed me and chazed me back here…"

"Really?" Lyra asked in surprise, taking a peek over the edge of the fort only to see that he was being dead serious: her new friends were all standing beside Scott with mischievous grins and large handfuls of snow. Kurt joined her in peering over the edge for a moment, but since his dark blue hair wasn't as unnoticeable as her silver tresses in such stark white surroundings, Lyra quickly pulled him down by the back of his long coat and ducked.

Three well-aimed snowballs from Rogue, Scott, and Kitty immediately smacked into the spot he'd just withdrawn his head from.

"Danke," Kurt mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous smile.

"Well, kids, what are ya going to do now, huh?" Logan called, laughing at them.

"Vell, how about zis?" Kurt called, flipping upright and hitting Logan in the face with a snowball; he was then met with a growl.

"Uh-oh…" Lyra whispered, slowly crawling away as quietly as she could… only to be picked up and held off the ground by Scott, who'd gripped the back of her nightgown. Lyra's eyes went wide as snowballs went flying all over the place and she flailed around until he dropped her.

There were no longer teams.

It was an all out war, either hit or be hit: everyone was on their own now. Lyra soon found herself taking refuge behind a tree, hiding herself from the terrors of winter war. Everywhere she looked a snowball was being thrown… but it was better than watching people's fists being thrown at each other.

"Eep!" Lyra squeaked, ducking down as a snowball nearly hit her in the face. It went on like this for a few more hours until everyone finally called it quits and went inside. Lyralianna was completely freezing once she was back inside: her ears, nose, and cheeks were bright red. When the others simply sat down and began chatting about the fight, she started pacing around with her arms constantly rubbing her shivering body and her teeth chattering nonstop. Sensitivity to the cold was one of the more unpleasant perks of being an albino.

"Man, kid, would ya calm down already?" Logan asked, scowling a little as he watched the white-haired girl pace back and forth through the living room doorway, rubbing her arms and trying to stay warm. "You look like you're strung out on some kinda drug with all that twitching and shivering."

"I think it's kinda funny to watch, actually," Rogue happily put in, kissing Bobby's cheek and smirking in amusement when the blonde boy blushed in pleasant surprise. "She looks so… _lively_ with all of that shivering: most of the time she has no color, but now she's bright pink!"

"Lively isn't the right word," Kitty mumbled, eyeing the albino girl. "More like mildly hypothermic."

"Stop that," Logan growled, walking over to Lyra and grabbing her arms.

"But Logan," Lyra whined, squeezing her yellow eyes shut in dismay, "I'm so _cold_."

"Yeah, well, you'll get over it," the man snorted; however, Lyralianna glanced at Jubilee in confusion when the girl abruptly let out a muffled giggle and pointed at something above their heads with a red face and barely-restrained hysterical laughter. The others saw what she was gesturing at and had similar reactions, all of them turning red and muffling laughter.

"What's so funny?" Lyra asked, looking up in confusion: her yellow eyes snapped open wide when she realized she was staring right at a lock of mistletoe. "EEEHHHHH?!"

"Oh, _hell_ no!" Logan bellowed, rugged face going just as red as hers when he noticed the mistletoe; Scott was nearly bursting with laughter, but Lyra's glare easily turned into a sly smirk as she walked over and abruptly jerked him under it as well.

Both Logan and Scott went bug eyed and everyone in the room howled in laughter.

"Now, give each other a _man hug,"_ Lyra ordered, glaring with folded arms ad tapping her foot until they hesitantly complied with her command. When they pulled away with simultaneous shivers, the girl pulled them down a bit by their arms and kissed them both on the cheeks before pushing them away.

Both men looked stunned.

"Wow," Kitty whispered, looking thoroughly star-struck. "I wish I had thought of that! It was so cute!"

"Yeah, it was," Lyra agreed with a giggle before she turned to look at Kurt: she had seen the unhappy expression on his face when the girl had kissed the two older guys on the cheek, so she bounded over and pulled him to his feet with a grin that made his sad face dissolve. Kitty and Jubilee watched with eager eyes as she pulled the lanky boy over to the doorway and looked up at him; Rogue and Bobby merely grinned and watched expectantly.

"Vas?" Kurt asked, blinking down at Lyra when she looked up at the little plant.

"Oh, just shut up and come here," Lyra said softly, taking his wrists and pulling him down; when he was doubled over, she planted both of her tiny hands on his cheeks and pressed a soft kiss against his mouth. His yellow eyes snapped open wide and his tail snapped straight out from the shock of it… but then his muscles slowly went limp and his arms dangled as his eyes slowly became half-lidded and glazed over. Everyone in the room cheered and clapped madly when the tip of his long spaded tail flopped limply on the ground, unmoving for the first time ever: Kitty was literally bursting with glee.

"WHOO!" Jubilee exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. "Kurt just landed his first kiss!"

"Oh, shut it, Sugar," Rogue sighed, smacking the back of her head with a smirk. "Let him enjoy it."

Lyra finally pulled away and covered her face, blushing madly as Kurt blinked at her like a dazed kitten. Lyra could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and in the background she could hear Scott and Logan stifling their laughter; then there were the others, who were animatedly talking about Kurt's non-existent dating history and how awesome this event really was. To be honest, she'd just given away her first kiss as well.

"My heart feelz light," Kurt mumbled dazedly, slowly standing upright and staring off into space. "I feel as zhough zhis is a dream… like I could fly away…"

Rogue instantly got up and stepped in front of him before flicking his forehead.

"Sugar, that was much too real and sweet for dream," the brunette chuckled, folding her arms with a sly expression on her face. After flashing the brunette a happily dazed grin, Kurt put his arm around Lyra's shoulders and led the shivering girl upstairs to her room without a word.

"Have fun!" Kitty called cheerfully, waving her arms. "Don't do anything indecent!"

"Ve still have presents to wrap," Kurt whispered into Lyra's ear once they were out of earshot.

"Oh no!" Lyra cried, quickly bolting down the hall and tearing into her bedroom; she hastily pulled everything out from under her bed as he closed the door, locking it just like before. He wordlessly sat down and picked up some of the wrapping paper with slightly-shaking hands. Lyra gave him a small smile, before she started wrapping up her presents with a look of definite concentration on her pale face. About an hour later, the two of them were finished wrapping up the gifts and happily took them downstairs. Lyra swayed a little bit as she walked and she eventually let out a sleepy yawn.

"You alvight?" Kurt asked, placing a three-fingered hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Lyra mumbled, nodding sleepily as she sat down and started putting everything under the Christmas tree.

She quickly snuck a glance at Kurt and hid his presents behind one of the branches just at the base of the tree: she didn't want him seeing his gifts prematurely. After she was sure he hadn't noticed her sneaky actions, she let out another yawn and stared at the blinking Christmas-tree lights with a sleepy half-lidded expression of amazement. Kurt somehow took notice of her tired expression and slid the remaining presents underneath the tree.

Lyra blinked when she felt his hands gripping her by the waist and turned to look at him.

"Kurt, what are you doing?" Lyra asked, blinking at him with tired yellow eyes.

"Taking care of you," he said, sweeping her into his arms. "Come, liebchen, time for bed."

"What does 'Liebchen' mean?" Lyra wondered sleepily, resting her head against his chest.

"It means 'little one,'" Kurt said softly, smiling a little as he carried her up the stairs. Lyra made a soft little sound to acknowledge the fact that she'd heard him, but she was already falling asleep in his arms because of how tired she was. Once he'd opened the door to her room, Kurt set her on the bed before pulling off her shoes and tucking the covers up to her chin.

"Good night," he whispered gently, tapping her nose before he got up.

"Night…" Lyra whispered quietly before falling asleep; no nightmares tormented her that night.

**TXXXXXT**

The next morning, Lyra's eyes snapped open and she bolted upright: for some odd reason, she felt as though her body were tingling all over. After a moment of blinking stupidly at the wall, a wide smile spread across her pale face and her large yellow eyes started sparkling in delight.

"I can't believe it… today is Christmas," she whispered, clutching her chest before she flew out of bed and hastily got dressed up in the outfit that Kurt had bought her. After she was dressed, the girl shredded through the doorway and flew down the stairs with a huge smile on her face.

The girl's eyes immediately widened and she froze when she saw the Christmas tree.

Every color rested or hung upon it beautifully, but a mountain of presents had somehow ended up resting beneath it or around it. Her eyes flitted from package to package in awe: there was even a small mechanical train that continuously made its way around the bottom of the tree, gears moving and small lights blinking: everything was placed so neatly and carefully.

"Whoa," Lyra muttered blankly, jaw slowly going slack. "Those weren't there last night!"

"Santa must think we've got good kids here," Logan chuckled from behind, planting a hand on her shoulder when she blinked up at his Santa-hat in surprise.

"I wish I'd asked him for a camera," Lyra stated, fighting to keep from laughing. "If I'd known you were gonna be wearing that adorable hat, I definitely would have asked Santa Clause for something that could capture this image."

"Feh, whatever," Logan snickered, mussing up her hair and planting a warm mug in her hands before he moved to sit down on the couch; Lyra blinked and stared at the brown liquid before tasting a little bit and gasping in surprise. She nearly melted into a puddle: it was hot chocolate.

"Merry Christmas, Sugars!" Rogue shouted obnoxiously, shoving the small girl aside and lifting a tray high into the air as she passed; Lyra blinked when the tray was held under her nose, but she literally swayed when she saw that it was loaded with chewy-looking sugar cookies.

"Did you… make those?" Lyra squeaked, looking up at the brunette in surprise.

"Yup," the brunette stated with a look of satisfaction, but then she held the tray out. "Try one, Lyra! I'm fairly certain you won't die of the godawful taste!"

"That's an oh-so-comforting way to put it, Marie," Logan chuckled sarcastically, making the brunette stick out her tongue and roll her eyes. Lyra looked at the tray for a long moment before she picked up a little tree covered in sprinkles: when she took a tiny bite out of it, her yellow eyes involuntarily crossed and she slowly sank down to her knees as an explosion of delicious taste assaulted her mouth. She nearly choked from how yummy it was and hastily took a drink from her less-sweet hot chocolate.

"You should go on a cooking show," Lyra stated seriously. "That cookie was so delicious that I could probably get _hooked_ on the taste."

"All in an hour's work," Rogue chuckled proudly, tossing her hair in a triumphant manner as everyone else started coming through the door: the first person to enter was the Professor, and he was followed shortly afterwards by Scott… then the furry blue guy, Hank, came in with Storm. Then Jubilee, Kitty, Bobby, and a pale blonde boy with striking green eyes came into the room. Lyra blinked when she noticed that the blonde boy looked slightly uneasy, as if he didn't know how to react to any of them.

"Archimedes," Logan chuckled, clapping the young man's arm. "Good to see ya, kid! It's been a while!"

"I got here yesterday evening... Merry Christmas," he mumbled, averting his eyes; Lyra blinked when she looked around and noticed that someone was missing. There was no way she could ever forget him on such a special day, especially since she'd been looking forward to seeing his reaction to her gifts.

"Where's Kurt?" Lyra asked, looking around at everyone and frowning when she realized that the blue-skinned boy hadn't come down from his bedroom. Storm hid a brilliant smile when the albino girl slowly got off the couch and looked at everyone with firm yellow eyes: she looked absolutely determined, and the woman almost giggled when she silently walked out of the room. Lyra hastily walked up the stairs and made her way to Kurt's room before knocking on the door.

"Kurt?" she called, gently opening the door and poking her head inside. "Kurt? I'm coming in…"

The room was pitch black with no light at all, save for the bit of light that now crept into the room upon opening the door. Lyra looked around, hand on the wall as she fumbled for the light switch; when she finally turned it on, she found Kurt sitting in the corner of his room, praying.

Lyra sighed in relief and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"How come you're not downstairs?" she asked, staring at him when he opened his eyes; she blinked when she realized that his irises were shining brightly because of the light coming into the room… in fact, they almost seemed to be glowing. She felt entranced once again and shook her head slightly to clear the usual daze.

"I vas praying since it is Christmas… did I forget ze time again?" he asked, glancing around the room.

"Yeah, you did," Lyra giggled, rolling her eyes. "It's time to open presents!"

"You have a… prezent for me?" he asked slowly, tail curling with curiosity. "I did not see one vhen ve vere wrapping up gifts yesterday."

"You doofus, I hid them from you on _purpose_," Lyra laughed, pulling him upright and tugging him towards the door. "There are presents waiting for you downstairs!"

"Sorry," Kurt sighed, patting her head as they walked into the room. Lyra's face turned red when everyone in the room gave some teasing catcalls when they entered, but Kurt merely took hold of her hand and led the girl over to the tree, sitting her down in front of it. He then sat down directly behind her, draping his lanky arms over her shoulders before resting his chin on top of her head. Lyra felt slightly awkward… but in a way, she didn't: it was somehow becoming normal for her.

"So, who's ready for presents?" Logan asked, looking at everybody.

Soon, everyone was seated around the tree, pulling out gifts and exchanging them. After a moment of watching everyone with soft eyes, Lyra noticed Kurt looking at a familiar box-shaped present that Rogue had handed to him: the albino girl's heart fluttered and she smiled sheepishly when he looked at her with questioning eyes. The moment Lyralianna nodded and shyly looked elsewhere, Kurt tugged on the ribbon: it fell from the package, followed shortly by the wrapping paper and a shoebox lid soon after. Lyra hesitantly glanced at him, but her heart nearly melted when she saw the look on his face.

He had just pulled the music box out of its sheltering package: when he opened the lid and the beautiful melody hit him, a smile split across his face; then he noticed the rosary and his eyebrows shot up in shock. With shaking hands and a twitching tail, the blue-skinned boy gently pulled it out and looked at it with a reverent expression on his face. He twitched when it clicked open and the stunning clock was revealed.

"Liebchen," Kurt whispered, turning to look at her with shining eyes. Lyra smiled a little before she grabbed his second present from under the tree and placed it into his hands with a smile. Kurt looked at it curiously, examining the squishy paper ball before he curiously began to unwrap it.

Lyra looked at him, smiling slightly.

The moment the lid was lifted off and the paper was on the floor, it was like time stopped for a split second: judging from the startled look on his face, he didn't know what to do as he took each of his gifts out of the box and stared at them curiously. He looked a bit baffled, honestly.

"Vhat iz zis?" Kurt asked curiously, his eyes taking in every detail; Lyra smiled and gently shook her head before she tentatively took hold his left hand and slid the mitten on. He moved his three fingers around a little bit, flexing them as the girl placed the other one on his right hand.

Everyone was now watching with mild interest and abundant curiosity.

Kurt's tail continued to curl and uncurl as Lyra placed a handmade hat on his head, pulling it down in the back a bit and adjusting it so his ears could poke out through the slits she'd made, just in case. Then the girl placed a scarf around his neck, wrapping it around twice before she moved to his tail and placed a little spaded mitten of sorts that seemed to fit almost perfectly.

"There you go," she murmured, looking up at him with a soft smile.

The blue-skinned devil in front of her was speechless… absolutely speechless: his eyes were large and his expression was totally blank. Then, before the eyes of everyone present, Kurt wrapped his arms around Lyra and pulled her into a hug that was different from the others. Storm instantly blinked and sighed, smiling when she caught onto the subtle difference in the way Kurt was holding her: his arms were positioned in a way that made the woman realize that he was hugging her so he wouldn't start crying. She glanced at Lyra, who was tomato red, and sighed when she realized that the naïve albino girl didn't even realize it.

"Danke," he whispered, hugging her tightly. "Danke so much for everyzhing…"

"It was no problem," the girl protested, waving her arms and patting his back.

"Danke," he mumbled again.

In reality, Kurt liked Lyralianna Evangeline more than any other girl that he had ever been around while living at the academy. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't attracted to her, and he wouldn't deny that fact to anyone if they were to ask him about his feelings. In fact, he was actually planning to make his feelings a bit more apparent to her that night: then he remembered the present he'd gotten for her and pulled out a tiny square box from his coat pocket with his tail.

Lyra blinked when he dropped it in his hand.

"Zis iz for you, fraulein," he chuckled, pulling away and handing it to her. Storm watched with bated breath as Lyra gazed at it curiously, clasping her tan hands as the small girl began undoing the small bow on the box and opened it: the woman saw her mouth go a bit slack and grinned.

Lyra slowly lifted the shimmering silver cross and held it up, completely breathless.

"I… thank you, Kurt," she whispered, gently tracing her fingers over the metal.

"Sorry zat I cannot help you put it on," Kurt apologized, motioning to his three fingered hands.

"I can do that," Storm called, leaping forward at the chance to get involved: she gently took the necklace from Lyra's hands and brought it around her neck. Lyra moved her long hair to the side when the woman's cool fingers brushed her neck as she clipped the clasp.

"Thank you, Storm," Lyra sighed, smiling at the white-haired woman.

"Anytime," Ororo said with a motherly grin. "Now, you've got some more presents to open, little lady!"

Almost two hours later, they were finally done with presents… but Lyra was happy indeed. Kurt had assured her that he had a huge gift for her later that night, but instead of worrying about it, she merely helped everyone clean things up in the living room. After a while, Lyra sat down on the couch and yawned when Kurt plopped down next to her. The warmth of the fire was slowly putting her to sleep, and she soon found herself curling up against his side with closed eyes.

"Vhy don't you take a nap?" Kurt suggested, wrapping his arms around the angel and moving into a more comfortable position on the couch.

"Okay…" Lyra whispered, already half asleep; she mewled when his three fingers unexpectedly began combing through her silver hair. It was a nice feeling… soothing actually. A small smile slid across her lips as she lay there in his arms, slowly dozing off into a strange dream: it was a continuation of the one from the night before.

_"Go away! Leave me alone!" the angel shrieked, curling into a ball and clutching her head. "Don't look at me!"_

_"I cannot do zhat…" a familiar German voice whispered sadly. "I love you too much now to let you go."_

_Like smoke in the wind, the darkness erupted with a bright light and a three-fingered hand reached out to her. _

_And with gentle movements, she stretched her hand out and grasped it in her own._

_In that moment, her soul felt complete... almost as though she had finally become whole for the first time in her life._


	15. Chapter 14: Dark Premonition

**Chapter Fourteen: Dark Premonition**

_Lyralianna's yellow eyes flew open wide and she froze, face contorting in terror._

_Something was wrong… very wrong. _

_She was lying immobile in a white room, twisted on the floor in a grotesque position and weighted down by something unseen. Or… was it even a floor? Everything in this void was so blank that it was like the opposite of being blind. The girl couldn't distinguish the walls from the ceiling, so for all she knew, this odd place went on forever… but, where was she? _

_Then the pain hit her and she tried to scream. _

_Only to find that she couldn't: the breath was stolen right out of her lungs:_ _yhen the sound of rapid footsteps entered her awareness and Lyra looked up to see a familiar face: Kurt was running towards her with a silver-haired girl who looked… exactly like her, oddly enough._

_ He stopped right in front of her prone form and looked down at her other self with cold yellow eyes that seemed slightly unfamiliar. Lyra's doppelganger seemed confused by the change, but when Kurt gripped her wrists and actually assaulted her, the real version of the albino girl froze._

_She watched as her other self was practically strangled by the boy, watched as she lifted her hands and zapped him with her powers before running off. Then, something odd happened: Kurt faded into the distance and her doppelganger continued to run in place, long hair flying like a cloud of silver and tears streaming down her cheeks. A long trail of blue sparks was left in the wake of her white shoes, but they almost seemed to be bouncing away from the apparition since the doppelganger never really seemed to be getting anywhere. _

_Then the clone slipped and seemed to be taking a gravity-defying tumble: Lyra's eyes went wide in horror when the doppelganger finally began to move towards her and came to a halt inside her own body, seeming to disappear into the same grotesque position that she was now lying in._

**TXXXXXT**

"NOOOOOO!" Lyralianna shrieked, bolting upright and flailing around before she burst into hysterical tears. "No, no, no! Someone help me! It hurts too much! It really…"

However, she wasn't in pain… which made her freeze like a statue.

When Lyra stopped screaming and finally rubbed her eyes, she realized it was dark and she was lying in her bed. She blinked and sniffled, rubbing her streaming eyes as the terrible emotions from her nightmare faded; slowly getting up as the tears continued streaming from her eyes, the albino girl made her way to her bedroom door and opened it. However, she was startled when she saw Logan standing there with his hand raised, looking as though he were about to knock.

The man looked just as surprised.

"Are you okay?" the man asked, looking at her with a worried expression. "I heard a lot of shouting coming from your bedroom; I wanted to see if you were all right."

Lyra blinked when he sniffed the air and stared at her face more closely.

"You're crying!" he bellowed in shock. "Did something happen?"

"No," Lyra sniffled, trying to stop her tears. "No, I'm fine…"

"You're lying," Logan stated flatly, folding his arms and peering at her. "Talk to me.."

"What I need right now isn't words," Lyra mewled, shoulders shaking violently. "I need a _hug."_

Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Logan rolled his eyes before he pulled the albino girl close and held her in a tight embrace—which startled Lyra more than she wanted to admit. Logan wasn't exactly the type of person who gave hugs to just anyone, so it probably meant that the man cared about her a _lot…_ it reassured her about the nightmare only being a nightmare. There was no way such a ridiculous nightmare could really happen... especially since Kurt was so kind.

"I love you, Logan," Lyra sniffled, hugging him back and not noticing how the man stiffened in surprise. "You're like the dad I've always wanted but never really had… so, thank you. Thank you so much for caring about me... I really appreciate it."

"Uh," the man droned, staring at the top of Lyra's head in total surprise. "Okay?"

"I… had a really bad nightmare, that's all," Lyra admitted, pulling away and rubbing her eyes.

"If you say so," he sighed, mussing up her hair before she went back into her room. Lyra waited until his footsteps faded to slide down to the ground and clutch her head with both hands.

"What was that?" the girl whispered, trying to get her breathing back under control. "It seemed so real… but it was so strange! I get the feeling as though it had actually happened or…"

Lyra stopped talking as a terrible feeling filled her stomach: her eyes went blank and she slowly looked at the bathroom door handle, expression filling with an unholy amount of fear. Could she be having premonitions? Lyra shivered violently before she looked at her clock: it was five thirty in the morning, meaning that everyone was still in bed. It had been about two weeks since Christmas day, and everyone was back to school; unfortunately, it also meant dealing with Ram—who's second nickname was actually Blob, oddly enough—Quicksilver, Toad, and Lance—who was really the greasy brown-haired guy who could make earthquakes and had proclaimed Lyralianna to be his future bride. Lyra's eyes became half-lidded just thinking about his audacity.

Then the girl sighed and got up before walking over to her dresser: with gentle movements, she pulled out a set of beautiful clothes that she had gotten for Christmas. She was so thankful that everyone had given her normal clothes that she could have cried: she'd hated putting on the same boring school uniforms every day, especially since her new school gave freedom of expression. With a grateful expression, Lyralianna slowly pulled on a new pair of jeans and slid the cutest new shirt she had over her head before pulling her long hair through the neck hole. Once she was sure that her thigh-length tresses weren't pinned by the clothes, she fluffed her long hair out and picked up her brush before slowly running it through her locks. Once that was done, she tied her long hair into a ponytail with the new black Lolita ribbon that Kitty had given her. She was still trying to get the dream out of her head when she slipped her shoes on and headed downstairs in her new outfit.

After a moment, she sighed to herself.

"I hate this…" Lyra whispered, walking into the kitchen and flipping the lights on.

"What do you hate?" a deep voice asked from right behind her; Lyra let out a squeal and jumped clean onto the refrigerator thanks to her powers. She saw Logan peering up at her with a cocked eyebrow and folded arms: he was obviously trying to figure out how she'd just jumped so high.

"God, Logan, don't scare me like that!" Lyra squeaked, rubbing her chest.

"Sorry, kid," the man grunted, leaning against the wall. "I was worried about ya, that's all."

"It was only a nightmare," Lyra groaned, shakily sliding off the fridge and opening it up; she peered at the contents inside of it before grabbing some milk and a pulling a box of cereal down from the shelf. After grabbing a bowl from a nearby cupboard, she poured herself some breakfast and sat down at the table, watching with wary yellow eyes as Logan sat down across from me.

"You look nice today," the man stated, eyeing her casual appearance. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you wear pants of any sort…"

"That's because I didn't really have any," the girl mumbled, shrugging before she stuffed a spoon full of cereal into her mouth. "I've only had five old school uniforms up until now."

"I see," the man stated, narrowing his eyes. "What was it about?"

Lyra chewed her food a bit slower, knowing that he was talking about her nightmare: when the man merely stared at her expectantly, she held up a finger and swallowed before she answered.

"I don't really know, but… well, it freaked me out," Lyra muttered, giving a shrug before she continued eating her cereal: it was true enough since she really didn't know what it had been about, not really… but the girl honestly didn't want to talk about it since Kurt had been in it.

She shivered when she thought about how cold his eyes had been.

"Freaked you out, huh?" Logan asked flatly, eying her shaken features.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Lyralianna stated simply, shaking her head with a sigh. Before he could say anything else, the girl finished her cereal and washed her bowl out before setting it down in the sink; after that, she left the kitchen with her long ponytail swirling behind her. Since she didn't have anything else to do, the girl grabbed her jacket from her room and went outside.

She instantly looked up at the stars, putting her small hands in her pockets.

"At least it doesn't feel as tense out here," she whispered, looking at the fading moon as the wind swept through the silver strands of her bound hair. "I wish things could always be like this…"

_They can to a degree, a familiar voice stated, making the girl jump. "All you have to do is relax."_

"Professor?" she asked, turning around to face him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing, my dear," the man replied; giving her a smile from his wheelchair before he eyed her appearance. "Now, Lyra, why are you out here by yourself?"

"I… I had a dream that freaked me out," Lyra explained, slowly shifting her fiery yellow eyes to gaze up at the horizon, "so I got up, ate, then came out here for some quiet to clear my mind."

"I see," the man sighed, following her gaze: the sun always came out much earlier in the winter months so it was slowly starting to brighten the horizon, changing the colors in the sky. It was beautiful as the young angel stood watching the pinks and purples slowly appear in the sky.

"Professor?" Lyra whispered, hands shaking even though she kept her gaze on the horizon. "How is it…that I have so many abilities? More importantly, how is it that I'm not a human? I'm not even a mutant… you told me that I was an angel, but I don't see how that's possible. Why me?"

"I'm not sure, Lyra, but I've been trying to figure it out," he told the girl, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "In all honesty, Lyralianna, you are a very special young woman."

"But… I don't _like_ being special, Professor," Lyra snapped, burying her face in her hands. "It's so frustrating sometimes, no joke! I mean, it's not like I _asked_ to have all of this power… yet, here it is anyway, dominating my life and forcing me to bend to its will. Sometimes I feel as if I'm trapped by my own strength and there's nothing I can do because _I_ am my greatest _enemy_!"

"Lyra," he stated with a concerned expression, "you need to lighten up on yourself."

"How can I lighten up on myself when I don't even _like_ myself?" the girl demanded, looking at him with the most serious expression he'd ever seen. "Professor Xavior… if I am my greatest enemy, it also means that the person I fear the most is the one who's looking into a mirror. I have to be hard on myself otherwise I might slip up again… and a slip up with me can kill people."

The man didn't know how to respond because what she'd said was true.

Charles watched as she slowly turned around and walked off, long ponytail swirling behind her as she left him sitting there. People would be waking up soon and getting ready for class, but the pale girl still had time to wait. So, wait she did: the girl even went as far as sitting beneath a snow-covered tree out in the courtyard, staring up at the sky as she waited for the time to pass.

The rest of the day, Lyralianna didn't really pay much attention to her classes.

Her mind kept going back to the dream she'd had.

Eventually she found herself in the danger room: using her powers had started to come a little easier for her, and she could easily control water, ice, electricity, and fire thanks to the training Logan and the Professor had put her through. However, her control over the elements of air and earth were still extremely difficult to get a grip on: she had difficulty keeping them in check. During the simulation, where she was supposed to be saving a little boy from a burning building before the opposing team could destroy him, Quicksilver decided to pull a cruel prank on her.

Logan noticed it, but by that point it was too late.

"Kid, watch out!" the man barked; Lyra looked at him just a split second before she was blown clean off her feet by an explosion from behind. She let out a yip of pain when she landed on her stomach, but the girl instantly shrieked as a burning pain shredded through her left side: she rolled over on the floor of the danger room and sat up, holding her shoulder as it began to burn.

"Ow," she hissed, gritting her teeth as her hair flew up towards the ceiling in anger.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" Logan bellowed; Lyra turned to find Quicksilver standing above her with a smug look on his face. He held his hands up in defense as he took a couple steps back.

"Sorry, Logan," he called in a mock-apologetic tone. "I forgot that she was on my team."

_"Bullshit!" Lyra spat,_ slowly standing up and holding her shoulder: it hurt like hell and she was thoroughly pissed off. However, before she could do anything that she would regret later, Lyra left the danger room and made her way out into the farthest courtyard in the entire Academy.

Then, after popping her arm back in place, she sat down and leaned against a tree: her hands were sparking like crazy, but she refused to let any of her power out. She didn't want to damage anything by accident, but she still felt the anger and confusion trying to take over her mind.

Lyra jumped in surprise when Kurt teleported next to her with a buggy-pop and blue smoke.

"Hallo," the devil greeted cheerfully, plopping down in the snow and waving with a big smile.

"Hey, Kurt," Lyra sighed heavily, hands balling up a bit.

"Vhat is wrong?" he asked, ears flicking a bit to get rid of the snow that somehow collected there before his tail thumped on the ground. Lyra blinked when he cocked his head to the side.

"Quicksilver," Lyra muttered, wincing as more pain seared through her shoulder.

"Vhat did he do?" Kurt asked, voice holding an upset tone to it.

"Jerk hit me in the shoulder," Lyra grumbled; however, the girl flinched and squeaked in pain when he unexpectedly placed a hand on it. With careful movements, he pulled the shoulder of her new white shirt down and hissed when he saw how red her pale skin was. Lyra felt him recoil for a moment before he gently placed his palm on it, making the albino girl whine in pain.

"Zorry," Kurt mumbled, removing his hand. "Do you vant me to knock some sense into him?"

"No," Lyra sighed, shaking her head before she held up her sparking hands. "Still, if you want to do something, could you get rid of this? I honestly feel like I'm about to explode like a bomb."

"Ja," Kurt sighed, gently taking a hold of her hand and absorbing the power that was there: the glowing blue sparks turned red as they fused with his dark blue skin… then twinkled out. Lyra felt kind of amazed since it was an odd spectacle. "You shouldn't let him bully you like zhis,"

"I know, but I can't help it…" Lyra murmured unhappily, shaking her head before burying it in her arms; she winced when the muscle in her shoulder slid around."I let him get to me too easily, but I couldn't help it. I mean, he hauled off and hit me when he knew I was on his team."

" Liebchen, it vas not your fault," Kurt sighed, carefully placing his arm around the girl's slender shoulders. "Ze only zhing zhat will be your fault is if you get sick from sitting out here."

"True enough," Lyra sighed, rolling her striking yellow eyes before giving him a small smile and standing up; however, her face abruptly drained of color and her full lips pressed into a flat line as she fought back the pain. "Ow… God, Quicksilver is dead meat: I'm gonna slaughter him."

"Don't vorry, ve'll get him," Kurt promised, grinning as he helped the girl inside.

"OW!" Lyra squeaked, furrowing her brows. "Yeah, I know, but it's still annoyingly painful: this is the second time he's caused some sort of injury to my shoulder… stupid, creepy albino jerk."

"Eheheh… true enough," Kurt chuckled, leading the girl over to the couch before teleporting out of the room in a cloud of blue smoke. There was going to be a major bruise on her shoulder sometimes soon: in fact, the girl was fairly certain because of how it was throbbing that there was probably a bruise already starting to show up. Lyra couldn't see it because of where she got hurt, though, and she had to stop trying to look at it when Kurt teleported back into the room.

There was a small bag of ice in his hand.

"Yup," Lyra deadpanned, wincing a little. "This is going to hurt…"

**TXXXXXT**

The following weeks after the incident in the danger room hadn't been much better. Granted, Logan had taken it up with the Professor, and Quicksilver had gotten in trouble, but still: he bugged the girl whenever he could _and_ made a habit of bumping or hitting her in the shoulder. Lord have mercy, she honestly wanted to cry whenever he made contact with her shoulder: her entire left side had bruised pretty badly, not just her arm, and it was driving her nuts. Even the slightest touch would hurt, especially since the douche bag basically left a welt on her arm whenever he sped past her using his super speed. The girl wanted to wring his neck, but she would have only gotten herself into trouble. Lyra really didn't think Logan would mind since it would have saved him the trouble of doing it himself.

The man was openly threatening him to stay away from her now.

Lyra's main problem, however, was the fact that her dreams had started coming back again. They were terrifying and had been leaving her with little sleep. In fact, something had happened that very morning because of her nightmares: she had woken up screaming hysterically, which had made Logan come running to check on her… but the albino girl wouldn't go near him; she'd literally backed herself into a corner and summoned her wings trying to get away from his hands.

She couldn't get the images out of her mind... the man had actually looked hurt.

In her latest nightmare, he had been the reason she had started screaming: he had plunged his metal claws right through her stomach, and even though she knew it had only been a dream, it had scared the hell out of her. She could clearly see that she'd deeply hurt Logan's feelings, but she hadn't been able to help it. Lyralianna had been scared out of her mind. Lyra figured later on that the reason why it had scared her so badly was due to the fact that it had been a nightmare about someone she was familiar with. Lyra honestly didn't know what to do after Logan had finally left… she didn't even go to class because it had bothered her so much.

Lunch time was no better because she could barely eat anything.

"I swear, it's almost like someone is trying to kill me in my sleep: it's like something from _Nightmare On Elm Street,_" Lyra mumbled unhappily, writing down her latest bad dream in the diary that Jubilee had given her for Christmas. "It's unnerving when I think about it like that, honestly, but I can't help it… something just isn't right about these dreams I mean, of it isn't one dream attacking me, it's an actual vision about... Lucifer doing the same thing to my mentality, if not more."

Lyra sighed as she looked down at the cross resting on her chest, the one that Kurt had given her for Christmas: she never took it off because of how precious it was to her. The girl winced as she slowly stretched her arm, feeling the muscles tighten as she stood up: it was time for her to go do something constructive… especially since she hadn't done all that much in the first place. After donning one of her old school uniforms and slipping on her shoes, she left her room. Lyra was mildly surprised when she didn't find anyone in the kitchen: she would have thought that someone would have been munching on some snacks or rummaging around for a treat.

Still, the girl had to eat something: she was planning on going to bed since she didn't want to worry about anything else, aside from how to apologize to Logan…

"I need to ignore my nightmares," Lyra mumbled quietly, running a hand through her silver hair as she went over to the refrigerator and started pulling out a few things out to make a ham and cheese sandwich with lettuce and mayonnaise. Once it was done, the tiny girl sat down and happily started munching on it with closed eyes: it wasn't until she was about halfway done with her sandwich that she felt two three-fingered hands on her shoulders and hot breath on her neck.

Lyra went rigid and nearly choked on her food due to the fright that swept through her..

"Hallo, Liebchen," she heard him whisper; Lyra swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

"Kurt, you seriously scared me so bad that I almost passed out… " Lyra told him, glancing up at him with curious eyes when he rested his head on her shoulder in a… weird manner. Then he began to pet her head, and for some reason, the girl found his movements to be oddly disturbing.

"Sorry, Liebchen, I didn't mean to scare you," Kurt whispered, voice strangely husky as he gently petted her head and kissed the side of her neck. Lyra froze like a statue, muscles locking up so badly in terror that her sandwich actually fell out of her hands and landed on the plate.

"K-Kurt, stop," she whispered weakly, voice shaking a little when she was slowly pulled to her feet and pressed against his chest. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to stop him: he kissed her neck again before biting at it softly. When the albino girl flinched and tried to pull away, he roughly tugged her back and pinned her against the wall: he stared down at her with cold yellow eyes.

"Come on, frauline, I don't bite… _much,"_ he purred, running a hand through her hair and balling his fist in it painfully. The albino girl's eyes slowly widened and she began to shake when he grinned and revealed his long, glittering fangs. The next thing she knew, his lips were being crushed against hers in a bruising kiss and his hand was slowly sliding up her dress shirt. Lyra immediately began to squirm under his crushing grip, tears streaming from her large eyes as his three-fingered hand tightened in her long hair: she attempted to turn her face away when he tried to take the kiss further and touched her bra. That's where she drew the line and lost it for a minute.

Eyes flashing brilliantly blue, the albino girl shoved him as hard as she could with her sparking hands before cowering away from him in terror.

"Vhat is wrong, Liebchen?" he asked, looking as if he hadn't been doing anything wrong; when he tried to take a step towards he, the girl's eyes flashed even brighter and she held her hands up with a frightened expression on her face. "Oh no… your powers, zhey have built up again! Let me help you!"

"S… stay away from me!" Lyra shrieked, before tearing out of the room; she never saw the change in Kurt's eyes… the change that flickered from pale gold to a slightly different shade of bright yellow. She didn't see how his round pupils contracted into strange, catlike slits. Lyra couldn't even believe what was happening: as she sprinted down the hall with terrified tears streaming from her eyes, the girl let out an involuntary screech and covered her face with both hands. She didn't know what else to do: she couldn't even think straight, and because of it she nearly tripped down the front steps leading up to the Academy. Lyra tripped over her feet when she got to the gates to the school: lifting her hands, she allowed two simple lightning bolts to blow them off their hinges before she took off down the road using her super speed.

She raced out into the street, not once even attempting to look back.

There was nothing that would stop her now, nothing at all: the tears streaming from her eyes dissolved as she sprinted weightlessly down the forested road with her clothes and hair flying in the incredible wind she was generating. They ran down her face only to be swept away: the necklace that Kurt had given her weaved in and out of the top her blazer, never staying still against the movement of the wind as Lyralianna sprinted onward in a blur of thoughts. She continued to sprint blindly using her powers: even though parts of the road were extremely icy and she could lose the little grip she had on the pavement, she didn't care.

There was nothing more to care about: she had been betrayed by someone she was so close to, someone that she…

No… she wouldn't say it. She couldn't say it. It would break her, and she didn't want to break.

"How could you…?" Lyra whispered, letting out a hysterical mewl as tears blinded her vision and she broke down. That was the last thing that she said: her dress shoes hit a patch of ice in the road and utter silence engulfed her mind as she went flying towards the bend in the road; Lyra's eyes widened as she flew towards the edge of the unseen cliff, still streaming those sparkling tears into the air as she sailed downward and landed on the first steep incline.

The breath was bashed right out of her body and something sliced across her back.

Then she was rolling: her body twisted and rolled painfully she tumbled down the edge of the cliff, bashing against pine trees and large boulders at an insanely high speed. When she finally came to a rest, Lyra was only certain of three things: she had broken several bones, she was completely unable to make a sound because her chest felt like it was being crushed, and she was alone with no way of anyone to find her. It was only then that the girl was reminded of the dream she'd had weeks earlier.

She was lying at the bottom of a mountain and had been twisted in a sickening angle.

"Oooowwwwww..." Lyra whined in a wavering voice, eyes glazed over with pain as she slowly rolled herself onto her stomach and gripped her side painfully. With shaking movements, the tiny albino girl struggled to crawl over to a nearby tree: blood was seeping from her side and staining her clothes dark red. Lyra hissed in pained as she crawled to a tree, slowly standing up with its help: her eyes felt like they would roll at any given moment as she stood there: she was so dizzy from just standing up that she actually slid back down to the ground. The snow on the cliff had been stained red with her blood... but she was kind of surprised she had so much of it.

It was a weird thought, but true all the same: she had a lot of blood in her body.

Lyra flinched when she heard a twig snap behind her, but when she tried to get back up she only ended up falling to the ground with a cry of pain. Although, when she finally managed to look up through her long silver her, she felt lightheaded and her ears started to ring from sheer terror.

"S-Sabertooth…" Lyra whispered, too scared to move; strangely enough, he seemed to have a different air about him at the moment, but the girl was still terrified of him.

"Frail," he nearly purred as he showed his sharp canines; Lyra's eyes widened when he crouched down in front of her with his thick arms resting on his knees. The two of them simply stared at each other for a couple minutes, but then he pushed me over with his hand. The girl instantly let out a shriek and clamped a hand on her bleeding side when she hit the ground; before she was even aware of what was happening, his large hands had grabbed her by the wrists. With rough movements, he jerked her slender body over and he was suddenly lifting her dress shirt: Lyra tried to stop him from doing it, but he growled savagely, making the girl freeze and stay still.

However, she couldn't stop herself from shaking.

Quite unexpectedly, his hands pressed against her injury and she was winded by the pain: once she had stopped gasping enough to get her breath back, she let out a hysterical shriek. There was a huge gash on her side that she hadn't taken the time to look at, but the albino girl froze when he brought his face close to it. She flinched when he sniffed at it for some strange reason: before she could say anything or try to move away, he growled again… but this time because of the blood.

"Someone, help," Lyra whispered, shivering violently as the exhaustion kicked in: even as Sabertooth sat there, scanning her body and pulling her limbs, the girl seemed to grow weaker. She didn't even care that he was causing her a bit more pain by pulling on her legs and arms every now and then… but then she heard another voice that woke her up a little bit more.

"Sabertooth, stop pestering her," a man sighed. "Do something useful and pick her up."

Moments later, Sabertooth's enormous hands were on Lyra's waist and he slung the girl over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes: the girl was winded again and she let out another shriek of pain since she was too weak to do anything but lay there on his shoulder. Her long hair twisted in the wind as she hung upside down on the shoulder of her worst nightmare.

"Mr. Lehnsherr…" Lyra whispered, struggling to keep her eyes open. "Help me…"

"I will, Lyralianna Evangeline," the man confirmed, silver eyes narrowing. "I will."

**TXXXXXT**

"Professor," Logan snapped, bolting into the room. "Lyra, she's—"

"Gone," the Professor whispered, answering the man. "I know: something happened."

"I…" Logan spat, clamping his fists. "I'll be back."

"Be careful," Charles warned, looking at him when he bolted down to the garage. Logan bolted over to Scott's motorcycle in a frustrated panic, hopping over the seat and hot-wiring it before speeding out of the garage and speeding down the street. Logan just prayed that he would find Lyralianna unharmed and in one piece, but he seriously doubted that he would for some reason. He didn't know why; he just felt like that was the case... and it made his stomach prickle unpleasantly.

Logan rode on for nearly ten minutes in the hope of finding Lyra, but he pulled over and his face went slack when the scent of blood caught him. Slowly disembarking from the motorbike, the Wolverine followed the scent with growing anxiety: the scent of this blood was different than any he'd ever picked up before. It smelled like copper, but at the same time almost sweet… like honey and floral vanilla. Lyra's blood: he had never smelled it until now, but he knew it for what it was.

Logan's face drained of color and he bolted over to the edge of the cliff. After hopping over the guardrail, the man peered over the edge and saw something silver glinting on one of the rocks: taking a deep breath, the man leapt off the edge and landed heavily on the outcropping before picking up what he'd seen. It was a cross dangling from a broken chain; around it were multiple splatters of fragrant crimson.

"Kid," he whispered, leaping down even further as his heart slowly crept into his throat. "Kid, please…"

When he made it to the bottom, his nostrils flared and he stared at the blood-stained snow with large eyes: he could smell Lyra all right, but there was another scent on top of hers. Logan's face slowly contorted and his mouth twisted into a vicious snarl, arms shaking as his thick neck bulged. He stood like that for almost a minute.

Then, with an expression of savage rage, he let out a roar that echoed for miles around.

"I'm gonna kill you for touching my little girl," he hissed, unsheathing his claws and taking off into the woods.


	16. Chapter 15: The Dark Side of the Moon

**Chapter Fifteen: The Dark Side of the Moon**

Lyra didn't know how long she'd been unconscious for, but when she finally woke up and opened her eyes, she felt so heavy that it was almost like she'd been asleep for several days… and on top of that, she woke up to the sound of a woman humming a soft tune. Then, without warning, the pain smashed into her body and she squeaked before letting out a whine.

"Oh… so, you're finally awake," a feminine voice purred.

"Who's there?" Lyralianna asked, slowly opening her glittering yellow eyes and dazedly looking around until she spotted a blue-skinned woman with scarlet hair sitting in a chair. "Who are you?"

"You don't need to know my name," the woman stated coldly, cocking her head with a predatory expression in her frightening yellow eyes. "However, if you want, you can call me Mystique."

"My name is… Angel," Lyra hesitantly stated, making the woman smile; the albino girl shivered when she saw elongated fangs protruding from the blue-woman's mouth.

"Fitting name," Mystique purred, lifting her hand and looking at her nails; Lyralianna almost passed out when her blue skin rippled and began to shift to an abnormally pale hue. The girl watched with large eyes as the woman all but disappeared, and soon the angel found herself staring at her own doppelganger. Mystique's short red hair rippled and turned white before growing out, and her yellow eyes shifted to a startling ruby color; then she smiled at Lyra.

"You… you look exactly like me," the girl whispered, catching the woman's attention.

"Of course," Mystique acknowledged, looking at her smooth hands with a quirked eyebrow. "It's interesting to try taking on the shapes of different and unique people every now and then. I've become rather bored having to watch you sleep for so long, so why don't we have some fun?"

"Fun?" Lyra asked, looking at her red-eyed doppelganger with a dazed expression. "How?"

"Well, why don't we show each other what we can do for entertainment's sake?" Mystique inquired, glancing at her with an expression that wasn't her own. "I'm bored… wing it."

"O… okay," Lyra uneasily agreed, lifting her hands and closing her eyes; soon afterwards, her fingers began to spark with electricity and a crackling ball of lightning exploded above her upturned palms. Upon opening her eyes, her irises were glowing with a bright blue light; then, with careful movements and strained control, the angel began to manipulate the lightning. Mystique watched as the girl timidly began to juggle between her elemental powers, smiling a bit when the girl tried to juggle fire and almost burned herself by accident.

"Magneto said you're more powerful than a class five mutant… so, what else can you do?" the woman suddenly asked, staring at Lyra with interested yellow eyes.

"You don't wanna know…" Lyra immediately retorted, letting her hands drop.

"Oh, but I do," the woman stated, leaning forward a bit in her chair and tossing her silver hair over her shoulder with an unnerving smile.

"Well… um… I haven't really practiced with my stronger powers much," Lyra stated quietly, looking at her surroundings for the first time and getting a scope on where she was. "I've been more worried about getting my elemental ones under control since they're easier to maintain."

She was in a padded cell… a padded cell with only a barred window and no door.

"You mean what you just showed me isn't all you can do?" the woman asked curiously.

"No…it's not," Lyra confirmed, closing her eyes.

"Interesting… can you show me?" Mystique inquired.

"Not in here… it would be way too dangerous," the girl hesitantly explained, turning her head and looking at her surroundings with an increasingly alarmed expression in her eyes. "Which reminds me…where in the world am I?"

"All I'm allowed to tell you is this," the woman slowly explained, red eyes flaring back to yellow for a moment as she tried to maintain Lyralianna's shape. "You're somewhere safe."

"Mystique?" the albino girl asked, shivering violently as she pressed herself against the wall.

"Yes?" the shape-shifter inquired, slowly standing up and moving towards her with a smile.

"Please… change back to your original form," the angel whispered, burying her face in her hands. "If you need a reason, the only one I have is this: I seriously hate looking at myself… and I'd appreciate it if you changed back."

"As you wish," the woman chuckled, shifting back into her original shape.

"Um… also, I need to use the bathroom," the girl whispered in embarrassment.

"Come," the woman stated, slowly helping her up; Lyra's breath hitched when she was upright and a ringing sensation filled her ears, making her vision seem brighter before it started filling with spots. The girl swayed and would have fallen flat on the ground if Mystique hadn't caught her under the arms and held her steady. "Be wary… you were injured when you arrived."

"I remember that much," Lyra panted, trying to get over the nausea that swamped her mind.

She glanced up at Mystique's face when the woman braced the majority of her weight with an ease rarely seen; for a moment, however, she thought she saw a little bit of Kurt's face in her own… maybe it was the blue skin, but the realization that they were similar made her blink in confusion. Mystique took her over to the far wall and placed a hand on it: without warning, the wall slid open and Lyra was pulled into a corridor. There were no windows to be seen at all, and no other doors… just fluorescent lights that kept everything lit. Mystique soon opened another door and she was pushed into the bathroom; then, a few minutes later, she was leaning against the woman's side again.

"Um, Mystique?" Lyra hesitantly inquired.

"What?" the blue-skinned woman demanded in a monotone.

"Can we go outside?" Lyra quipped.

"Why would you want to go outside?" the woman demanded, giving her an unnervingly dark look. "It's cold."

"Please?" Lyra pleaded, tiredly closing her eyes. "I feel like I'm suffocating in these halls… I have claustrophobia."

Lyra knew she'd won when Mystique left her side and went back into the room to get her school blazer: the girl smiled once she'd buttoned it up, but she wasn't wearing her black dress shoes… they'd most likely been torn off during her tumble after she'd gone off the cliff, especially since they had been very flimsy due to old age. Her stockings were still intact, albeit they were a bit stained with dirt and blood.

Once the girl finally got outside, she realized that she'd been underground all along. She shivered violently when her bare feet met the cold remnants of snow on the ground, but she was pretty much getting used to it. After all, she'd done this several times in the past, and each time it got a bit easier and easier for her to manage for long intervals.

"Aren't you cold?" Mystique asked, helping her over to a nearby tree; the angel simply shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. When Lyralianna stepped away from the woman and looked around, she closed her eyes in remembrance: she was standing in a forest with snow-encrusted pine trees all around her.

She hadn't been in a place like this since she was eight years old.

She had run away and hidden herself in the woods for nearly three weeks on her own because of how horrible the family that had adopted her had been. After being beaten half to death by her new foster father with an old baseball bat, the girl had packed up the few belongings she'd had and taken some food before ditching them.

She had always been running away from men and women who were constantly hurting her.

In an adult's eyes, a girl was a fragile thing… something weak to be preyed upon. Young girls were always the main targets that murders and rapists preyed upon: they were ideal for someone with ill intent because they were beautiful… and also because they were weak. She didn't want to be weak in the face of such evil, so she'd used her outlandish appearance and her unnatural powers to try and keep monsters with evil intent away from her.

She had always been terrified of the world… but being alone had made it a little easier.

She'd wanted to keep it that way, but her heart had gone against her wishes.

Even if Kurt Wagner was the only person among this twisted reality that she felt safe around, the girl had absolutely no reason to trust him after what he'd done; the people she had been living with were the ideal images of predators. She had somehow managed to keep her innocence despite all of the abuse and loneliness that her foster families had put her through. She had somehow managed to keep it when she was being sexually harassed in a horrid facility full of delinquent males. She was not going to lose it after all the length she had gone to protect it.

"I won't let any monsters get me," Lyra whispered, wrapping her arms around herself and closing her eyes. "Ever."

"Angel!" Mystique barked, making the girl jump.

"Huh?" Lyra asked.

"I called your name twice and you didn't answer," the woman growled.

"Sorry…" Lyraliannna mumbled, sliding down against the tree. "I'm not used to being called Angel very often."

"I want to know something, so here me out," the woman commanded in a soft tone, sitting down beside her with a glazed expression in her eyes. "Why did you run away from your home? What events led to you running away?"

Lyra flinched at the memory and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I… I…" the girl stammered, eyes going blank as they filled with tears. "Someone… that I was close to… he…"

"He did something absolutely terrible to you, didn't he," Mystique murmured, placing her hand on her shoulder before carefully inspecting the bruises on her neck. "Although, why do you shed tears for one who hurt you?"

"B-because…" the girl whimpered.

"He didn't try and touch you did he?" Mystique asked, poking her lower lip out in sympathy.

"He… he tried to force himself on me," Lyra admitted, burying her face in her hands. "I… I fell in love him, and he knew it… but I never thought that he… he would… why do I still love him? Why is he still hurting me over this?"

"If I ever see him, I'll kick his ass for you," Mystique murmured, sitting down beside Lyralianna and drawing a finger across her cheek. The girl felt a bit uncomfortable when the woman wrapped her arms around her and started rocking her back and forth, but a few moments later… the man who had attacked her in her dreams, Sabertooth, walked out from where the two of them had come. Mystique wordlessly stood up and walked over to the huge man.

They exchanged a few words before the woman went back inside, leaving Lyra with Sabertooth.

The angel shivered as she stared at him: likewise, he was watching her very carefully.

Lyralianna scooted backwards a couple of inches as she sat there, wrapping her arms around herself once again. The burly man let out a faint, animalistic growl… but oddly enough, it didn't sound menacing like the other times that she had been in his presence. Lyra tensed when he walked over, but she squealed in alarm when dropped his large pelt on top of her head. The girl pulled the thing off of her head and stared at it before she glanced up at him.

He was smirking at her.

"Put it on, frail," he grunted.

Giving a little shiver, the girl hastily wrapped the fur around herself in an effort to keep him from getting mad. The girl pulled her feet up in order to keep them away from the cold. Lyralianna sighed at the warmth that the pelt was soon giving her since it warmed up and began blocking out the cold.

"Um…thank you," Lyra whispered, knowing that he heard her.

_She's stronger than she looks. _Sabertooth thought silently.

**TXXXXXT**

When Logan got back to the mansion in a state of absolute rage, it didn't take long for the Professor to realize what had happened. Especially since the man was radiating a desire to kill several people: he rarely got that riled up.

"Magneto's got her," Logan spat, fists clench so tightly that his knuckles looked slightly silver beneath his skin.

"We'll find her, Logan, I promise," the Professor said, carefully placing his hand on the man's arm. Logan merely growled like a wild animal before storming out of the room; when he whipped around a corner and knocked Kurt on his backside, he felt pretty guilty when he saw the startled look on the kid's face. There was a faint spark of hope in his gleaming yellow eyes when he got back up and grinned at the man, revealing his long fangs.

"Do you know vhere Lyralianna is?" the demon asked in a hopeful tone. "She vasn't in her bedroom, ze bathroom, or ze kitchens."

"She tried to run away again… and was kidnapped," Logan snarled, holding out the broken cross for Kurt to take. The blue-skinned boy's yellow eyes went blank and his ears shot straight up in shock, but his heart began to pound when he saw the necklace. He slowly took it from Logan's outstretched hand and held it in both of his, rubbing his three-fingered thumbs over it. He looked absolutely heartbroken as he stared down at the beautiful silver chain.

"Liebchen…" Kurt whispered, bringing the bracelet to his chest.

"The Professor says that we'll find her," Logan muttered, before walking off down the hallway. He wasn't able to stand there any longer: he had his own issues to deal with, and seeing Kurt look so stunned and upset was something he couldn't handle. Kurt slowly walked back to his room, tail dragging along the floor as he stared at the necklace.

When he was inside he room, he sat down on the bed.

"Vhere are you?" he whispered, looking at the necklace with watering eyes. His chest felt tight and he wanted to cry, but something wouldn't let him: he was worried about her… he was so worried that something truly terrible had happened to her. What was even worse, he didn't know why she had run off again: the only evidence he had found in the kitchen was a half-eaten ham sandwich lying on the kitchen table downstairs.


	17. Chapter 16: Wing Fever

**Chapter Sixteen: Wing Fever**

_Come back..._ a male voice suddenly whispered, making the girl open her shimmering yellow eyes. _Please... come back..._

"Kurt?" Lyra sleepily called, staring up at the cement ceiling with an uncomprehending expression. "Where are you...?"

"Who is Kurt?" Mystique's voice purred, making the girl bolt upright with a startled hitch in her breath. "Boyfriend?"

Lyra blinked and dizzily rubbed her eyes, not really understanding what was going on; instead of seeing the Academy walls around her, she was in a concrete jail cell with another woman... and she was a woman who slightly resembled the boy she had fallen in love with. Then the memories hit her and her heart nearly stopped: she had been molested by Kurt, and then had gotten into an accident due to the fact that she had fled the Academy. Lyra sniffled as her eyes watered before glancing at Mystique, who was sitting on a chair with one long leg folded on top of the other.

"No..." Lyra managed to say, smiling before her expression broke. "We never made it to that point."

Mystique's eyes flickered with uncertainty for a moment when Lyra turned away and stared emptily at the wall.

"Do you love this... Kurt?" the woman asked, examining her fingernails. "You talk about him all the time in your sleep."

"I do, but... it won't work," Lyra mumbled, shivering violently and swaying as a wave of nausea overtook her. "It..."

"If you love him, you can forgive a mistake... correct?" Mystique inquired, batting her lashes. "So, why the long face?"

"Because I'm scared of him!" the white-haired girl snapped, making Mystique blink. "He's the only person who's ever gotten close enough to hurt me!"

"He's the only one who can hurt you? Don't make me laugh! You've been locked in this room with me for seven days now," Mystique stated, eying her with an irritated expression on her face. "Why won't you use your powers to get away from here? You can do it, so why haven't you tried?!"

Lyra ignored that particular question just like she always did: the girl knew exactly why she had been kidnapped, and that's why she wasn't going to give Magneto what he wanted. She wouldn't display her powers for him, even if they _could_ help her get away: she didn't like feeling as though she were a bug under a microscope. For one thing, Lyra didn't know if she could keep a firm grip on her abilities, and for another... she didn't mind Mystique's presence as much as she should have because the woman reminded her of Kurt. It was foolish, but at the same time very true: Mystique and Kurt were very similar.

"Why do you love Kurt Wagner so much?" Mystique demanded, yellow eyes sharpening. "How could someone like _you_ love a _monster?!"_

Lyra's eyes widened as a spark of rage ignited inside her chest: before she realized what she was doing, the fragile albino girl had stood up and walked over to stand in front of Mystique with shadowed eyes. The woman merely stared at her with a triumphant expression... but when Lyralianna merely hauled off and slapped her in the face with all of her strength, the blue-skinned woman was actually stunned for the first time in her life.

"Monster?" the angel hissed, pupils contracting in rage as she clenched her fists. "Kurt is not a monster! Not him! Never him!"

"Can you really call him human, though?" the woman sneered, ignoring the welt on her face. "That boy is a creature even worse than a monster."

"LIAR!" Lyralianna screeched, stomping her foot with clenched teeth. "He may be a demon, but he's NOT a monster! He's better than anyone!"

"Liar?" Mystique chuckled, eyes narrowing into a twisted expression of anger, sadness, and hatred. "Little girl, I'm being more honest then you'll ever understand... I know how much of a vile creature he is because I'm the one who gave birth to him."

Lyralianna froze like a marble statue, eyes going wide as she stared at the woman's yellow eyes and familiar smile. After a few moments, her legs started becoming rubbery and she felt as though she were about to collapse; Mystique cracked her neck before rubbing her cheek with a disinterested yawn, almost as though she couldn't feel the pain... or as though she was used to this type of treatment. Lyra's heart fluttered at the thought of Kurt's mother being abused, and she actually hugged the woman without thinking: the mutant became still in an instant underneath her touch.

"I'm sorry!" Lyra whined, squeezing her eyes shut. "I didn't know you were his mom! But... Mystique, Kurt's not a monster! He's the nicest person at the Academy! He's the type of guy who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it more than he did! He's always looking out for me!"

Mystique's body quivered for a few moments before Lyra felt rough hands on her neck.

"Don't act like you care about me, you pathetic meat sack," the woman hissed, glaring into Lyra's eyes with an enraged expression. "You're exactly like the disgusting humans who kidnapped my baby! You're like the people who think we're freaks who belong in a circus, just like the one my child was in!"

"No, I don't!" Lyra retorted angrily, clutching the woman's shaking wrists. "If anyone belongs in a circus, it would be me... not you and Kurt."

"Don't you... huh?" Mystique muttered, anger fading into a puzzled frown as her grip on Lyralianna's throat went slack. "You're hot..."

"Pardon?" Lyralianna asked, swallowing past the lump in her throat. "What do you mean?"

"I mean your body is hot," the woman retorted irritably, pressing a hand against the girl's forehead when she sank to her knees. "Your face is red."

"My back has been hurting the last two days," Lyra muttered, dizzily rubbing her eyes. "It's probably just from the accident."

"Magneto used the iron in your blood to direct the clotting and heal your wounds, though," Mystique retorted, irises flashing like neon mirrors as she gripped Lyra's arms and stared into her tired yellow eyes. "Take off your blazer and lie down on the bed, face-down."

"Why?" Lyra demanded, feeling oddly weak for some reason; the woman's eyes narrowed in anger, and before the girl could protest she was being thrust onto the small metal bed sticking out of the wall. Lyralianna's eyes widened when she was straddled by the woman, and she trembled when Mystique rapidly started undoing the front of her blazer and school shirt. A few moments later, the girl's upper clothes were torn off and she was being rolled over onto her stomach; something heavy pinned her arms down when she tried to fight back, and she angrily bit her lip to keep from screaming.

However, when Mystique gasped and jumped off of her, Lyra's rage at being manhandled dissolved.

"What... is that?" the blue-skinned woman whispered, touching one of the two sore spots right below Lyra's shoulder blades; the small girl's breath hitched and her eyes widened only a split second before she let out an involuntary squeal of pain. Mystique jumped and removed her hand as though she'd been stung, but when Lyra glanced up at her... she was slightly startled to see a worried expression on the woman's blue-skinned face.

"What's wrong?" Lyra asked, struggling to look at her back. "Is there something weird on my back?"

"I... I honestly don't know what's wrong with your back..." Mystique stated slowly. "It looks as though something is swelling up beneath your skin like blisters... or maybe even boils. There are two bulges, and your skin has been stretched to the point where you've started bleeding beneath it."

"W-w-w-what?!" Lyra squeaked, practically shooting off the bed. "What do you mean?! What's happening to my... back... ugh..."

Before she could finish freaking out, an intense wave of dizziness overtook her and dark spots flashed across her eyes; her long silver hair swirled around as she stumbled and tripped due to the ensuing weakness in her limbs. Before she could hit the ground, however, Mystique's arms wrapped around her waist and the woman caught her. Lyra heard a strange rushing in her ears around the same moment she noticed that her face felt hot.

"Kurt..." Lyra incoherently whined, clutching Mystique's arm when the woman lifted her up bridal-style. "Where's Kurt..."

"I'm vight here, _Liebchen,"_ the person carrying her replied; when Lyra glanced up, she saw that Kurt was looking down at her. "Don't vorry..."

Lyra smiled and touched his cheek with a trembling hand, staring at his face with tears filling her eyes.

"You're late," Lyralianna laughed, choking on her tears a little before she fainted; Mystique was so startled by the tiny girl's reaction that her powers slipped and she reverted form without warning. The woman stared at the girl's flushed face with large yellow eyes, feeling transfixed by the tears that continued to slide down her snow-white cheeks even though she was unconscious. Every drop made the woman's throat burn with an unpleasant emotion that she wasn't familiar with: she'd known that Lyra had been infatuated with her son, but not to the point where she could smile like _that._

Lyralianna Evangeline was truly in love with her child.

Shaking her head at the absolute ridiculousness and stupidity of what she was about to do, Mystique closed her eyes and assumed Sabertooth's form before sliding Lyralianna's upper clothes back on and moving towards the cell door. After she had unlocked it, the shape-shifting mutant made her way down the hall towards the hatch that led above ground; and once Mystique had made her way outside of the prison, she took off towards the mansion. Mystique was completely aware that she was betraying Magneto's trust by doing this, and it did tear at her... but first and foremost, she was a mother and she didn't like feeling guilty about doing this to her own child. Especially since she rarely ever felt guilty about her actions: she was the type of person who could snap a man's neck and not feel an ounce of remorse, which is why she wanted to get rid of the guilt coursing through her chest.

Mystique eventually slowed down and assumed her original form, red hair rippling down around her shoulders in a glistening wave.

They were nearing the spot where Lyra had initially gone off the edge of the cliff, but now there were little signs that anyone had been injured there: the blood on the ice was gone, the tatters of her clothing were buried beneath fresh snow, and her missing shoe was nowhere in sight. In fact, the only sign that the albino girl had wiped out in this place were the broken branches and dislodged stones. Mystique was just about to set the angel down on the spot she'd been kidnapped in when the familiar sound of Logan's claws filled the air: the woman smirked when the man grabbed her hair and jerked her head back with a snarl, but she did feel a tiny flicker of fear when the feeling of razor-sharp metal was pressed against her throat.

"Well, hello," the woman stated seductively, blinking rapidly when she felt his ragged breath on her neck. "Is this how you greet all women?"

"Let go of my kid," Logan hissed in a deadly voice. "If you try anything funny, I'll decapitate you here and now."

"My, my, you're so bold, Wolverine," Mystique chuckled, licking her lips when her head was jerked back further. "However, before you decide to do anything to me, you should probably be aware that I went against Magneto's wishes just to bring her back."

"I'm not falling for it," the feral man retorted, fist tightening in her hair. "Set Lyralianna down and get the hell out of here."

"Fair enough," the woman purred. "However, in order to do anything, you'd have to let me go first."

For a moment, nothing happened and Mystique clucked her tongue; then the man released her and she rolled her eyes. With delicate movements, she turned around and handed Lyra over to the feral man before taking in his appearance: he had dark bags beneath his eyes, and his wild dark brown hair was completely disheveled compared to the normally picture-perfect image of 'controlled chaos' it usually gave off. She felt highly amused that the man had grown so attached to the silver-haired girl, especially since he normally acted so cold to everyone who had attempted to get close to him.

"She has a fever, and there are two swollen protrusions on her back that seem to be growing," Mystique purred, turning around and sashaying towards the trees with a tiny wave. "Aside from that, tell her that she should forgive Kurt since he probably has no idea what he even did thanks to me. If you say that, she'll understand the message and forgive him for what she thinks he did. Take care, Wolverine: I won't be so kind next time."

"Fuck off," the man growled, clutching Lyra's limp form to his chest in order to flip the woman off; then he bolted for the motorcycle he'd swiped.

**TXXXXXT**

_Everything was black—almost as if Lyra were resting inside of a cave at night: the only source of light was an odd green glow that swirled around her. Then... as __if she were looking into a deep pond in the dark woods, the air in front of her rippled and something became visible: there were forms on the other side. Inky black shapes wavered in the gloom on the other side of the wall, specters floating in the deep. _

_The dead in their lair._

_Lyra clutched her chest as an unexpected stab of loneliness surged through her, and quite suddenly she felt the solitude of her life rising up. Why did she need to endure all of this pain? Why did she need to lose everyone and everything she'd ever cared about in such brutal ways? Why couldn't she have controlled her powers when her family was about to die? She could have stopped everything and saved them if she had only known how to shut off the flow of power! _

_So, why…? _

_A few of the black shapes walked closer to her from the gloom, calling her name as their faces came into view. It was almost as though she were looking through murky water as they came closer, but even so she longed to step through the veil and be there with them. T__hen Lyra saw her family, and the girl's already-bleeding heart nearly shattered with grief. Maki ran up to the wall as close as she could and tried to go through it when she saw Lyra, crying the girl's name as her foster parents comforted her. The girl's biological mother looked at her through the barrier as her foster mother hugged her sister, putting a plump hand on it and staring straight at the girl: tears were streaming from every one of their eyes. _

_Lyra's face contorted with grief and she wailed mournfully, thrusting her arms out and pounding on the barrier in a futile attempt to reach them. __Her heart felt as though it were going to rip with yearning sorrow. She let out a sob and stretched out her hand to her mothers as tears began streaming from her eyes. _

_"Mama! Eiko!" the girl wailed, voice echoing into the darkness. She wanted to have them hug her again, to tell her that all the bad things would go away like when she was little. She didn't want to have to be afraid anymore. She wanted her families back. She only had to reach them, then she would be safe._

_Safe forever._

_Lyralianna tried to reach out to both of her mothers, biological and not, __before she _tried to go to them: she tried to step through the wall, but something was holding her arms and pulling her back. Irritated, Lyra pulled harder. Someone was keeping her away from her family.

_"Let me go! I want my family!" I screamed tearfully, voice sounding hollow and empty even to my own ears. "Mommy!"_

_Then she was being pulled away— _

"—OOOOOO!" Lyra shrieked, bolting upright and thrashing around. "No! No! No! Let me go!"

"Lyra! Shhh, shh! Honey, it's okay!" Storm whimpered, pinning her down with Scott's help. "You're having a nightmare because of the fever!"

"NO! NO, NO, NO! Get away from me! I have to get back to my family!" Lyralianna screeched, bursting into tears and struggling to get back to the darkness where her family was waiting for her. "MOMMY! MOMMY, PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME ALL ALONE AGAIN! NOOOOO!"

"Lyra, your family isn't here anymore! Wake up! You're having a nightmare!" Storm cried, struggling to keep a firm hold on the girl's arms as she flailed around and continued screaming; her cries were so hysterical that they were practically unintelligible to listening ears. "LYRA! WAKE UP!"

"Ororo! What's happening?!" Logan bellowed, bolting into the common room in nothing but his boxers; a sleepy-eyed Rogue was close behind.

"What's wrong with Lyra?" the brunette wearily demanded. "The whole mansion can hear her screaming..."

"I don't know!" Storm exclaimed, holding onto the girl's arm with frightened brown eyes. "Her fever hasn't gone down! She might be delirious!"

"Go get Kurt," Logan hissed at Marie, making the girl jump; she blinked for a few seconds before realization flooded through her mind and she bolted from the room again. The next few minutes were spent trying to keep Lyra from hurting herself as she screamed and flailed around, but Logan and and a sleepy-looking Hank had joined in with Storm and Scott by the time Kurt was brought into the room. The moment the blue-skinned boy saw what was going on, his tired eyes snapped open wide and he practically leapt over to the girl's side. Her eyes were full of delusional terror and emotional agony.

"Liebchen!" Kurt cried, clutching her burning cheeks with both hands. "Liebchen, calm down!"

"I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE ANYMORE!" Lyra screeched, squeezing her eyes shut. "I DON'T WANT EVERYONE TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Ve never vill," Kurt murmured, yellow eyes saddening and lighting up at the same time; then, without warning, he bent down and kissed her. Lyra's mindless thrashing stilled and her eyes snapped open wide... but for the first time, she actually seemed to be seeing what was around her. Then her wide eyes seemed to become emotionally weak and filled with tears that streamed down into her hair and ears: she could see Kurt's beautiful eyes.

When everyone let go of her, Kurt pulled away from the girl and clutched her burning cheeks with shaking hands.

"Don't leave me all alone," Lyra whimpered, breaking down into a calmer set of tears as she touched his hand. "I can't take being scared anymore."

"Never," Kurt soothed, sitting down beside her as everyone else backed off to take a breather, "but vhy did you run avay from us?"

"Why ask when you already know the answer?" Lyra whimpered, turning her face away from his.

"Huh?" Kurt asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. "Liebchen, vhat are you talking about?"

"Lay off, elf," Logan growled, finally intervening with an irritated expression. "She's sick right now, so wait until she's feeling better to ask that."

"No, what everyone needs to do is get out of here and go back to bed," Storm corrected, making a shooing motion at everyone present and ushering them towards the door. "I'm going to take care of her, so there's no need to worry about her condition any longer: go get some rest now."

"Take care of her, you hear me?" Logan grumbled, standing in the door far longer than anyone else. "She's not looking too good."

"Logan, I've tended to _you_ so many times that it should be obvious that Lyra's in good hands!" Storm scolded, flapping a hand at him. "Go on!"

Once the man was gone and only a sleepy-looking Rogue was left sitting on the couch, Storm gently turned Lyra over on her stomach and unclasped her bra in order to to see how the lumps on her back were doing. However, to the woman's dismay, the bulges seemed to be getting worse: the area around the highest point had become inflamed and swollen, but the worst part was the fact that the affected areas seemed to be expanding rapidly. Lyra was breathing heavily as she lay there on her stomach, and her entire body was covered in sweat due to the fever she was experiencing. Storm hastily ran to the kitchen and grabbed some ice before throwing it into a bag and running back to the common room. Rogue had fallen asleep on the other couch, but Lyra was far from being out of it now that she had woken up: the girl's yellow eyes were glazed over, but for some reason or another she didn't seem to be in any pain. The woman frowned and bit her lip as she put the ice on one of the huge purple bulges on her pale skin.

"Does your back hurt?" Ororo inquired softly, looking at how the girl's long silver hair had been plastered to her body because of the sweat.

"Not exactly..." Lyra weakly replied, breathing rapidly and irregularly. "It feels like I'm being pulled by my shoulders, or like I'm about to get a cramp..."

"I don't understand," the woman sighed, shaking her head with an extreme amount of worry. "How can it not hurt when it looks so bad?"

"Mirror..." the girl immediately whined, trying to get up only to be pushed back down.

"You'd better not," Storm soothed, pulling her white hair back into a ponytail. "It'll hurt more if you see it..."

"I'm not human, am I...?" Lyralianna whispered, making the woman pause; her yellow eyes were watering and full of pain. "What am I?"

"I don't know..." Storm stated honestly, looking up at the ceiling with haunted eyes. "Even though there are mutants in the world, in the end... all of us are human and we have limitations on what we can and cannot do. Just because we have more to us than others, it doesn't mean we're any different regarding our spiritual beliefs... but when it comes to you, I can't say I understand what it means to not be human... or even what it feels like."

"But why me?" Lyra whimpered, breathing irregularly and clutching the pillow beneath her head as the bulges on her back twitched. "Why did I have to be born as something more than human?! I just want to be a normal girl, not some sort of angel! I want to be a regular human!"

"We all wanted that in the beginning, I think..." Ororo sighed, shaking her head as she looked at the girl's back. "But that changed over time."

Without warning, the bulges on Lyra's back started to move around and the girl let out a cry of pain that startled Marie into wakefulness: Ororo jumped in alarm and stared at the girl's back with wide brown eyes, frozen with shock as the enormous purple bulges continued to move. Then the skin on the left bulge split open; a thin trickle of blood started streaming from the tear in the girl's skin. Lyra immediately began to sob in pain, but she couldn't scream because she couldn't draw in enough air: it was almost as though she'd been winded. Her pale face screwed up in agony as the other bulge split right down the middle, causing a rivulet of blood to fly from her back. Ororo flinched when a bit of it hit her on the cheek, but that was all it took to spring the woman into action: taking off towards the kitchen, the white-haired mutant began searching for a bucket and filled it with hot water.

Then she grabbed a rag and some medical supplies before returning to the common room once again.

"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" Lyra wailed, squeezing Marie's hand as the bulges on her back continued to move. "M-Marie, help me!"

"I don't know what to do!" the brunette exclaimed, looking as though she were about to freak at any second. "Sugar, just hang on, okay?!"

"It hurts!" Lyra bawled, squeezing her eyes shut; Ororo's eyes widened when she saw that the skin on the girl's back was expanding rapidly, and she immediately wrapped some thick medical tape around her thumb before bolting over to her side.

"Bite on this so you won't bite your tongue!" the woman rapped out, hastily holding her thumb out; Lyra shakily did as she was told, but the woman winced when her sharp teeth clamped down and sliced through the first few layers of the tape. Storm actually lost her balance when Lyra thrashed in agony and screamed past her teeth: the woman crashed down to the floor and knocked over the chair that Marie had been dozing in. However, when the girl writhed in agony and managed to rock back onto her knees without using her arms, both females in the room with her gasped in shock.

Then a splatter of blood came from her back and Lyra screamed, causing her to release Storm's thumb.

When the girl came down again and planted both hands on the couch, the mutant females covered their mouths in horror since it looked as though two huge bones were starting to slide out of the girl's slender back. Lyra began crying hysterically as the protrusions continued to slide through the tears in her ivory skin, clutching at the couch with sparking fingertips and glowing blue eyes. To her, it felt as though her back was being ripped open by a huge carving knife, and she didn't exactly know how to handle the pain. She wanted it to end, wanted the ripping sensation to finish and allow her to relax.

The girl's breath was knocked out of her body when the protrusions continued to slide outward, but Marie's eyes widened in shock when she began to see blood-stained feathers and bony joints: two enormous, blood-soaked wings were slowly sliding out of the frail girl's back and unfurling right in front of them... but when the wings snapped open and spread themselves wide, Lyralianna Evangeline let out a screech and collapsed onto her stomach. Then the pain began to fade... and she closed her eyes as a numb sensation began to descend over her mind. She didn't know how long she lay there, but when she tried to open her eyes again, she wasn't aware that Ororo and Marie were cleaning her wings with bristle brushes and soapy water.

_My body feels cold and heavy,_ Lyra whispered silently, struggling to move her arms and failing completely. _Those things on my back twitch every time I feel pain shooting through my shoulders and sides... but with every second that passes, I feel as though they're becoming a natural part of my body. I'm scared... I feel as though I've changed into something else, but there's sweat stinging my eyes so I can't even see what I look like now. Am I even uglier now...?_

_"_M-Marie? Ororo...?" Lyralianna weakly croaked out, fighting to keep her eyes open. "Are you there...?"

"Yes," the woman's voice replied. "We're here."

"What are you doing...?" Lyra tiredly asked.

"Cleaning your new wings, that's what," Marie grumpily retorted. "Storm says they'll get stained if we don't get them free of blood and grease. Yuck."

"Is your hand all right?" the albino girl asked, struggling to move her arms and once again failing completely. "I didn't mean to bite so hard..."

"Oh, this?" Storm chuckled, waving her hand with a sigh. "It's nothing... you should be more worried about yourself right now."

"My head is hot," Lyra complained, feeling as though her cheeks and ears were on fire. "Why is my head so hot?"

"I don't know, but judging by the way your fever broke," the woman murmured, touching her forehead, "you should be fine by tomorrow."

"You have beautiful wings," Rogue absently murmured, brushing more of the blood off. "Not white... not black... just beautiful silver feathers."

Lyra fell asleep to the sound of two gentle brushes sweeping against wet feathers: no more nightmares about her family plagued her.


	18. Chapter 17: To Belong

I wanted to do a special shout-out and let everyone know what's up in the world of ST&FW.

First of all, this story is nowhere near being finished, so look forward to plenty of updates: things have been sad and hectic over on this end since I had to deal with my father passing away, and working for my little sister's tuition is practically KILLING me. Trust me, private school fees are NOT cheap! :P

Second of all, I want to thank** kerensparkle **for her amazing support and all the happy, upbeat reviews. She keeps me going on this thing when I have absolutely NO ideas left to offer, and I'm really happy that she enjoys looking forward to my work so much. It's nice to have people acknowledge your creation with such a huge amount of glee! I also want to to thank** IttyBittyBirdie, ****6****66AnimeFan66, **and****** helenealbra**, for their enthusiastic reviews.

Third of all, I want to thank** AkatsukiMercy1515, Alexpuppy789, Andrei Rian, Arise Morticia, BatGirl619, CMPunkOrton, DovieDM-1991-Promised Wings, Grey Eyed Curiosity, IceTalonTheOne, Lahlahh12, NightWindAlchemist, Regin, SelwynOfSanctuary, Tachi Tsuki un, TheAngelGirl357, The Half-Fallen Angel, XxanderaX, 302, crystalgirl78, Ms. TonyStark, golden-priestess, helenealbra, kira shadow wolf, lovezjacobblack, mjkcsk, ninja-of-twilight, princessyuki08, windwolf1988, wyvern713, **and** xMidnightLilliex **for their continued following of this story.

I really appreciate all of ya! You make me smile when I see new reviews and followers! :)

And last, but definitely not least, is the content resting inside this chapter: I'm posting a link to what I picture Lyra sounding inside my head at the end of it, so if you want to hear the content you're reading about... go right ahead. Just imagine the voice to be one octave squeakier. My friend, **Saskia,** did the song a long time ago and I really have to say that she deserves the nickname 'Siren' more than anybody else alive! :D

Anyway, read and enjoy! I hope I did as good a job as the rest!

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: To Belong**

When Lyralianna woke up, it was only because something warm twitched against her side.

The tiny girl flinched when the twitching motion came again, and the moment she realized someone's hand was brushing against her stomach, she jumped and abruptly lifted her head; it was only a few seconds later that she realized she could only open her eyes half-way. After a moment of baby-like struggling against her exhaustion, she mewled in defeat and let her head plop back down on the couch cushions. She hadn't even realized how tired her body really was until that moment. Storm and Rogue must have felt the same way after the previous night because they were both sleeping on the floor with their heads on the couch. Rogue's hand was what had initially woken her up, but it was kind of ironic that the girl was touchy-feely in her sleep. Lyra struggled to open her eyes for several minutes, but she weakly gave up the futile attempt to wake up.

Then she felt something on her back give a little jerk and her eyes snapped open wide, blinking rapidly in alarm.

Another little jerk came again soon after that, making the girl wonder if something weird was crawling around on her. After a moment of struggling to move her deadened limbs, she managed to glance over her shoulder looked at herself … only to have wakefulness come in the worst way possible. Lyra's eyes jolted open so wide that they resembled dinner plates when she realized that there were two enormous wings sticking out of her back.

They were currently folded up neatly like a bird's wings.

For a moment, she wondered whether or not she was dreaming; a calm smile spread across the girl's mouth after she pinched herself. Letting out a calm giggle and hesitantly poked her new feathers, Lyralianna smiled even wider before nodding twice, taking a deep breath, and letting out a hysterical screech that made Storm and Marie jump halfway across the room in alarm: the two females looked slightly cock-eyed due to their rude awakening and obvious exhaustion, but that didn't stop Lyra from letting out another bloodcurdling screech and passing out cold.

When she woke up again, it was two hours later and several people were sitting on top of her.

"Ugh... what the hell?" Lyra mumbled, struggling to get up and completely failing at it. "Hey! Get off my back, you fatties!"

"Why, Lyra! How rude!" Kitty gasped, daintily popping a peanut butter cookie into her mouth with a little coo of delight. "I may nibble on a few cookies every now and then without permission, but I practically weigh nothing at all! In fact... I weight less than nothing! See?"

As if to prove her point about being skinny, she sank down through Lyra's body and disappeared; the albino girl shivered violently and swallowed when she reappeared again almost three feet away… by clawing her way out of the floor and dramatically flopping her head around with her cookie sticking out of her mouth. Which was kind of disturbing to watch, all things considered: Lyra didn't know if she would ever get used to Kitty popping in and out of places by walking through walls... or crawling through floors like a cookie-loving Grudge Girl, for that matter.

"Who else is sitting on me?" Lyra mumbled, looking at the girl's blue eyes when she popped another cookie in her mouth. "I feel three warm spots."

"Lessee…" Kitty mumbled, cocking her head before pointing at three warm spots. "Rogue and Jubes are on ya right now, but Pyro was here earlier."

"Bobby was too scared to try it so he sat on the couch with Kurt," Rogue laughed, patting Lyra's side. "Don't worry, I'd have skinned him alive."

"That's not the issue here!" the albino deadpanned. "The issue is that you girls are crushing me _and_ touching me at the same time! Get off!"

"But your back is softer than a pillow!" Jubilee exclaimed, patting the girl's silver wings before she laughed. "A girl has to relax now and then!"

"Yeah, but any form of relaxation becomes _pointless_ if you have to suffocate a classmate in the process, so get the hell off me!" Lyralianna wheezed, poking her tongue out in dismay before she started wriggling beneath their bodies. That's when a sharp pain seared through her back due to the way one of them moved: Lyra let out a gasp before squealing in agony. "EEK! Okay, ow! That hurts! It _really_ hurts! Get off me right now! Please!"

The command was quickly heeded this time, but Lyra was simply thankful that she was able to breathe properly.

"Well, I think that's our cue to let you rest for a while," Kitty giggled, smiling at the disheveled girl with somber eyes. "We'll be back later!"

Jubilee and Rogue shared an amused glance before they latched onto Kitty and sank down through the floor with little waves at Kurt, who was currently sitting crouched on the floor with apprehensive yellow eyes and a nervous expression on his face. The demon's long blue tail flicked back and forth like a cat's as he eyed Lyralianna's expression with a worried demeanor: he looked sincerely uneasy as he stared at her enormous silver-white wings.

"Liebchen, are you feeling better?" Kurt asked, biting his lip with wary yellow eyes. "I heard about vhat happened from Storm."

"I'm kind of tired," Lyra mumbled, turning her eyes away from his. "I think I'm gonna go back to sleep since I can barely keep my eyes open."

"You should rest, zhen," the demon exclaimed, leaping up and tucking the girl in. "I... vill be back later... ja?"

"All right, what's goin' on in here?" Logan suddenly demanded from the doorway, making Lyra jump in alarm. "I just heard from Scott that the Squirt sprouted a pair of wings and lost a lot of blood because of it! Why didn't anyone come get me?! I told Storm to let me know if something happened!"

"I vas not avare of it until an hour ago... nobody told me, eizher," Kurt mumbled, walking towards the door with his limbs dangling and his long tail dragging along the carpet; his ears were drooping as he left the room. "I vill be back in a little vhile."

"What's wrong with the elf? I've never seen him look so depressed before," Logan muttered, padding forward and crouching down next to Lyra; the albino girl barely noticed it when he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and smirked. "Well, well, well… did you get stoned last night, Squirt?"

"Excuse me?" Lyra mumbled, furrowing her brows in disbelief. "Uh, no… and that's '_no',_ as in '_hell_ _no'_. I've never done drugs."

"Could have fooled me with those bloodshot eyes," the man grunted, grinning halfheartedly as he swallowed hard and turned serious. "Kid… let's just cut the bullshit for a minute. I want you to listen to what I'm about to say because I'm sure as _hell_ never gonna say again. So, here it is: I don't want you to run away from us ever again… because when were kidnapped by Magneto, I was scared to death for the first time I can remember."

"You were scared?" Lyra asked, feeling extremely surprised. "Why?"

"Because I _love_ you, Squirt," the man snapped, choking on the word a bit before his ears turned red. "If I had the legal authority to take do it without signing any God damn papers, I'd have already adopted your ass two weeks ago. I've been askin' Charles for advice on how to do this, and he's already sent in a request for some adoption papers. I'm planning on signing whatever the hell I need to sign in order to get custody. "

For a moment, Lyra merely blinked at the man in a stupid manner; then her eyes flew open wide and she shot up like an arrow.

"What did you just say?!" she squawked, golden eyes huge with dumbfounded shock. "Cripple that and run it by me again! You what?! You want to do what?! You're talking to Professor Xavior about what?! You're gonna do what?! Am I dreaming?! This can't be real! Are you serious?! Why—?!"

"God Dammit, just shut up and c'mere already," the big man grumbled, jerking Lyra into a hug and awkwardly patting her back. "Look... what you need the most right now is a stable living environment, a good education, and a father who cares enough to kick people's asses if they fuck with you. I've never had a kid of my own and I'm definitely gonna fuck up once in a while, but you're a fairly responsible girl and I'm pretty damn certain that I'll be able to give you everything you need. Oh, but don't you _dare _go expecting any special treatment from me just because I'm takin' ya in! The only thing that's changin' here is the legality of our relationship, got it?"

Lyra was crying long before he finished speaking: the girl's yellow eyes were dilated, and her throat had locked up so much that she couldn't make a single sound: she couldn't even begin to fathom the concept of what was happening to her. After years of being alone… after years of being rejected by everyone who was supposed to be there for her… after years of being shunned by society and humanity... someone was actually taking her in because they wanted her, not because she was being thrust on them by the government. She was going to be adopted by Logan.

The Wolverine.

The girl suddenly wondered if she were having a beautiful dream: that's how surreal and mesmerizing it felt.

"Anyway, I wasn't even gonna tell you until the papers were signed, so don't get cocky about the news..." Logan muttered, pulling away and sitting on another couch with red ears and an awkward expression. "So… I guess it's time to drill ya on the reason why you ran away this time, huh?"

"Ask Kurt," Lyralianna immediately retorted, yellow eyes sharpening in an instant. "If you don't know, asking him would be the right thing to do."

"Kid, I'm only gonna ask one more time," Logan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "The elf doesn't know a god damn thing about what happened to you. He knows something big happened, but that's all... and I'm getting pretty damn tired of searching for answers."

"You want to know why I ran away? Fine!" Lyralianna snapped. "Kurt tried to force himself on me, Logan: that's why I ran away. He wouldn't stop trying to kiss me even when I said no! It's not a big deal... I seriously overreacted and I'm sorry, but it's it's all in the past and I'm ready to move on."

"Kurt Wagner did _what…?"_ Logan demanded, looking at Lyra with a strange expression in his eyes. Lyralianna swallowed when his left eye twitched violently, but when he whirled around and stomped out of the room without a speaking another word, the tiny girl immediately realized that she had said the wrong thing to the wrong man. A few seconds later, she heard a several thunderous crashes coming from the kitchens and a loud yelp echoed down the hall. Lyra flinched when Logan burst back into the room with Kurt, literally holding the flailing demon boy four feet off the ground by his tail.

"You've got three seconds to start talking before I permanently maul your ass, Elf!" the man hissed, unsheathing his claws with a ringing metallic noise that made the girl wince. "I want to know what the hell is going on here right now."

"I vould like to know ze same zhing!" Kurt squeaked, struggling to get back on the ground and completely failing. "Vhy are you doing zhis?! I vas going to leave _five_ of ze granola barz, I promise I vas!"

"This isn't about your horse chow kitchen raids," Logan hissed, nose crinkling in rage. "You tried to force yourself on Lyra and you've been acting like nothing happened the whole time!"

"VHAT?!" Kurt squawked, yellow eyes becoming huge; his long ears immediately shot straight up and outrage fluttered across his face. "I DID NOT!"

"YOU DID!" Lyra shrieked, looking totally stunned; then her eyes started watering and the fight went out of her. "Kurt… I… there isn't anybody else like you in the entire mansion… you're one of a kind. I could recognize you from seven miles away if I needed to... and you were the one who did it."

"_Nien!_ _Nien!_ I vould never do somezhing to hurt you! Ever!" Kurt cried, staring at the girl with large eyes. "I… I couldn't… because… because..."

"Because you what?" Lyra demanded, sniffling as she started crying.

"Because I _love_ you!" Kurt finally whined, covering his eyes with both hands as his legs stopped flailing; his shoulders tensed when the girl did a double take and stared at him. "I know I zhouldn't love you, and I know ze feelings can't be returned, but I do! I love you, and I'm zorry!"

"You... you love me?" Lyra whispered, feeling her chest constricting in an unfamiliar manner as the words rang in her ears; however, when Kurt looked up at her with watering yellow eyes and a vulnerable expression on his face, she could see that he was telling the truth. It made her feel as though everything would be all right, and she knew right then that she believed what he was telling her... but unfortunately, that still left the problem of figuring out who had tried to force himself on her. Conveniently, it was in that very moment when Lyra remembered Mystique's ability to shape-shift.

"What the hell is going on here?" Logan demanded. "I have no clue what to make of this."

"Holy shit," Lyra wheezed, expression going blank when she realized the answer. "If Kurt didn't do it, that means I… that I… oh, God! A _woman _actually _kissed_ me on the mouth! Mystique was the one who _made_ _out_ with me! Ew, ew, ew! No wonder she was bent on making me forgive you! She did it!"

_"Mystique_ kissed you?" Logan choked in horror, dropping Kurt to the ground. "Ugh..."

"Please tell me zhat you're joking!" Kurt squeaked, looking at the winged girl with a startled expression on his dark blue face.

"I honestly wish I was!" Lyra gagged, touching her mouth with a disgusted expression. "Yuck! Does this mean I've turned into a lesbian?! NOOO!"

"No, and don't ever bring that woman up again," Logan growled, turning to walk out of the room. "I'll rip her lips off if when I see her again..."

When Logan left and everything had become quiet once again, Kurt's catlike yellow eyes flicked to Lyra's sparking fingertips and he slowly sat up from where he'd fallen to the ground; when he teleported beside her and hesitantly touched her hand, the pale girl looked at him with tired eyes since she still hadn't completely recovered from the experience of her wings growing out. Kurt tensed when Lyra's face twisted up and she looked ready to cry.

Then, ever so slowly, she slid down onto the floor in front of him and buried her face in his shirt.

The demon blinked when she trembled violently, but when she weakly clutched at his sweater with both hands and began to cry, he gently patted her back and actually smiled for the first time in ages: this was different from the other times he'd seen her break down… mostly because, for some strange reason that he really didn't understand, he had a feeling that these were the type of tears that could heal someone who'd been in pain for a long time.

"I'm sorry…" Lyra sobbed, closing her streaming eyes as she hiccupped and continued crying. "I don't know how it happened, but... I love you, too."

"Lyra, vhy did you zhink it vas me who kissed you?" Kurt asked, looking a little bewildered when the girl pulled away and rubbed her nose, fighting like a champ to stop her tears from leaking out. "You zhould have known ze difference between Mystique and myzelf because of how much I care for you. "

Lyra tried to let out protest, but he shushed her by impishly pressing his lips against her own. A beautiful glow sparked between their mouths and she stiffened in surprise when her heart skipped a beat... but then she slowly relaxed and closed her eyes. This was Kurt… the person she had fallen in love with: he was himself right now, and he was doing this simply because he loved her. She could tell from the way his arms slowly embraced her that she was loved... that she was cherished for simply being alive. Coming to the Mansion had given her everything she had longed for... and she loved it.

When Kurt pulled away he was surprised to see that she was half-asleep and staring up at him with eyes that couldn't look away.

"I can't remember how I survived being hated," Lyra murmured with a bittersweet smile, "but I know how it feels to be loved thanks to you."

"Vhen I was young, I often missed someone zat I'd never known," Kurt admitted in a small voice, resting his chin on top of her head. "I knew zat she vas a real person and I missed her terribly, but at ze zame time I'd never really met her... but after I saw you beneath my tree, I realized zat I vas no longer missing anybody because you vere vight zhere. Lyra... you are ze person who makes me feel completely whole. Vill you… be my… g-g-girlfriend?"

"Yes," Lyra mumbled, grinning weakly as rested against his stomach. "We're definitely going to take it one step at a time…but I love you."

"I love you, too," Kurt whispered softly, closing his eyes and curling his tail around her wings.

"Spaded tails and feathered wings," Lyra mumbled, noticing the contrast in their demonic and angelic features. "I found a good title for my diary."

When Logan came back into the room, he found Lyra and Kurt snuggled up on the floor with their foreheads pressed together: the two of them were fast asleep and they seemed so peaceful now that the man grabbed a blanket and tossed it over their bodies. Then he left the room, flicking off the light as he went. Lyralianna had never thought that something so amazing could ever happen to a freak like her, but it had… and she was happier in that moment than she'd been since the moment her parents had passed away. She finally had someone to call her own… she finally had someone who loved her unconditionally… she finally had someone who would never betray her and would always stand by her side through thick and thin.

She had finally found love.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long after the two of them fell asleep that Kurt woke up to an itching nose and several giggles. However, when the tickling sensation that brushed against his nostrils intensified, he let out a rapid set of six catlike sneezes and sleepily sat up.

After a moment, he blearily looked around.

"Awww…" Kitty pouted, looking at her whipped cream with dismayed eyes. "It didn't work."

"Vhat didn't work?" Kurt asked, cocking his head in sleepy confusion. Jubilee merely giggled and Rogue rolled her eyes before pointing at his hand with a flat expression; the demon glanced down at his three-fingered palm and blinked in surprise when he saw a mountain of whipped cream on it. "Vere you planning on eating my hand? Vhy did you cover it vith vhipped cream?"

"Wow," Rogue snorted, fighting back a grin when the other two girls burst into laughter and rolled around on the couch. "Sugar, you're a little too innocent for a sixteen-year-old."

"Vas?" Kurt asked, furrowing his brows and cocking his head; then he glanced down at Lyra's sleeping face and laughed when he realized that she'd been given a whipped-cream mustache. Grinning in impish delight, the demon lay back down and gently pressed his lips against hers before pulling away with a huge smile and glancing at the three girls. "Do ve match now?"

Kitty and Jubilee merely stared with huge eyes and open mouths; Rogue, on the other hand, grinned so widely that her face looked ready to split.

"Eeeeyup," the girl sniggered, smacking her lips together on the last syllable in order to make a pleasantly defined popping noise. "You sure as hell match all right, darlin': that was too cute."

"Wha's too cute?" Lyra mumbled, sleepily opening her eyes and blinking at Kurt's face; after a moment, her eyes slowly opened a bit wider and she stared. "Kurt… um, you've got… uh... something weird-looking on your face... are you okay?"

"I don't know... vant to taste and find out?" he asked, chuckling when she paled and blinked at him in alarm. "Kidding... it is just vhipped cream."

"Oh," Lyra mumbled, pressing a hand against her racing heart. "Sheesh… you actually scared me for a second."

"Really? But You have zome on you, as well," Kurt chuckled, poking his tongue out in amusement when the pale girl touched her lips. "See?"

"What the heck is going on?" Lyra squeaked, eyes widening in surprise. "Why the heck am I covered in whipped cream?!"

"Because you looked cute and we wanted to mess with ya!" Kitty bluntly giggled.

"You're too mean!" Lyra groaned, covering her eyes. "I'm the farthest thing from cute right now!"

"Well, duh, that was the point," Jubilee pointed out, tossing her long black hair. "We wanted to make you seem less cute, but it didn't work."

"You _do_ look like you're feeling a lot better now, though," Kitty murmured, finally looking at Lyra without any teasing behind her bright blue eyes. "Does your back feel better? Storm came to tell the three of us that the skin around your back has scabbed over… she thinks that you'll need some help every now and then, so she asked the three of us to help take care of you for a while."

"So… these things are permanent?" Lyra asked in a small voice, blinking in dismay. "Why the heck was I able to make them appear and disappear when I first got here? I mean, I liked it a lot better when they were gone until I needed them! It was kind of nice pretending to be a normal girl!"

"Well, unfortunately… I don't have a reasonable answer to that," Rogue sighed, shrugging in a baffled way, "but did you ever think about the possibility that maybe those wings you used before were never really solid to begin with? I mean, whenever I saw you do that... _thing_ with the sparkly lights in the training room, you weren't actually able to fly with your wings very well. Also, your feathers sometimes seemed like they were… see-through."

"Really?" Lyra asked, glancing at Kitty and Jubilee; both of them hesitantly nodded.

"Also, whenever you jumped into the air," Jubilee murmured, shaking her head in a thoughtful manner, "your wings would flap and you would gain a little bit of altitude… but then you wouldn't be able to stay up and actually just glided to the ground. I even asked the professor why it looked like the air was seeping through all your feathers, but he only said he didn't really understand it himself. So, maybe... the wings you conjured were illusions?"

"That's not possible since they _did_ have some form of substantiality," Kitty commented, catching everyone's attention and wincing when they stared. "I remember bumping into one of her wings during the session before last, but instead of running into it... I sank through some kind of membrane."

"Weird..." Rogue muttered.

"All that aside, what am I gonna wear from now on?" Lyra asked out of the blue, looking at her wings with furrowed brows and trying to make them flap; the feathered limbs twitched after a moment, but otherwise they remained unresponsive to her wishes. "These things are really going to be hard to manage if I can't find any clothes that will let me wear them. How am I supposed to wear a school uniform with these things sticking out of my back."

"Oh, that one is easy," Rogue laughed, waggling her eyebrows with a grin. "Cut two slits in the back of every shirt you own! It's that simple!"

"A-a-actually…" a male voice hesitantly stammered, catching the attention of everyone in the room like the snap of a whip. "T-that particular technique rarely works for anything other than silk and satin… if you cut slits into anything else and try to put your wings through it, the cloth will hurt you badly whenever you try to fly: it's usually too rough and not flexible enough to allow free movement without chafing the base of your wing-bone."

"Oh, god…" Kitty squeaked, turning around and looking at Jubilee with wide eyes; the Chinese girl had already turned around with a shy expression of embarrassment on her face, and she was slowly turning bright red because of the boy behind her. "H-hello Warren! What's up with you these days?"

"Nothing much," the voice replied. "I had to visit home for a little while... you know how my dad is."

Lyra sleepily sat up and looked at the newcomer with dazed golden eyes, but her heart flipped and she gasped in shock when she saw a set of enormous white wings sticking out of his back through his school uniform. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a nervous expression on his face.

"Whoa! A-a-a-are you an angel like me?!" the albino girl cried, jumping to her feet with a stunned expression on her face; once she was upright, she tried to step forward but the room spun in a dizzying manner and she instantly lost her balance. Kurt teleported away from his spot on the floor and caught her just a split second before she hit the ground; then he helped her back up and sighed when she smiled at him. "Thanks, Kurt…"

"You're velcome," the demon replied, giving her a cheesy grin; then he pulled her cross out of his pocket and awkwardly gave it back to her. Lyra smiled when she looked at it, and after looking up at his neck she paused when she remembered that the person who'd kissed her hadn't had it. She felt like an idiot all over again and shuddered before she put the necklace on and hugged Kurt again. She felt content and happy just to be alive right then.

"So, Sugar, what brings you here?" Rogue asked, suspiciously cocking her hip. "It's not like you to approach someone first."

"Well, u-um, the professor asked me to help L-Lyra get her wings in check for the next few days," Warren Worthington replied, shifting his weight and casting Jubilee a timid glance before looking away again with scarlet cheeks. "I know I've only got a mutation that made me grow these wings I have, and I'm aware that they're not nearly as big as hers, but I'm the only person in the mansion who knows all the tricks of hiding a problem like this."

"Wait, you mean I can hide what happened to me?" Lyra asked, blinking in surprise. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Well, before I came here… I made myself a type harness that kept my wings pinned comfortably against my back: whenever I wore it, I could also wear normal clothes like these," Warren explained, patting his shirt before he gestured to his wings and flapped them strongly. "I also know how to properly exercise the muscles in my back to keep my wings healthy, and there are lots of ways to maintain the feathers to keep them clean."

"This is gonna be harder than I thought," Lyra mumbled, looking over her shoulders with a weak expression. "I don't know if I can handle it."

"You can," Kurt sighed, looking down at her with a soft smile. "I believe in you, Liebchen."

"Well, I guess I can try," Lyra mumbled, swallowing hard as she looked at Warren. "What should I do first?"

**TXXXXXT**

Two weeks later, spring was slowly creeping over the world and flowers were beginning to bloom all over the place.

The events of the last few days had been hectic and difficult, but Lyra was finally starting to get used to taking care of her wings. Warren had told her that she wasn't ready to fly yet, simply because the wounds on her back were still healing and she would hurt herself if she tried to… but even so, she was kind of looking forward to the day she'd be able to soar up into the air like a bird. However, on one particular day when the air was warm enough to be comfortable, Lyra decided to go spend time at the hill behind the school. It was the best place to feel the wind, especially since there were no trees to be seen until the very bottom of it. That very morning, Lyra purposely put on the dress that the professor had given her a few days back: it was a simple navy blue and had long sleeves, but the back of it had been constructed to look like a halter top.

She rather liked the simplicity of the outfit because it seemed to make her features stand out.

When Lyra was ready to leave the mansion, she stopped in the kitchens on her way out and snagged Kurt from the cupboards; she giggled when he pouted about all the granola bars he was missing out on, but when the two of them made their way onto the hill and the wind swept across their faces, he forgot about his snack raid and smiled. He glanced at Lyralianna and blinked when he saw her smiling at the horizon, thigh-length silver hair sweeping beautifully in the wind and golden eyes sparkling like molten stars. The moment she smiled and looked down at the ground, Kurt could see why everyone believed that angels were so beautiful... because whenever she smiled like that, she really looked like one.

"Do you know why I brought you here, Kurt…?" Lyra playfully asked, spinning around and folding her arms behind her back. "Do you have a guess?"

"No..." he murmured, feeling a little puzzled. "Vhy did you bring me here?"

"Well… since you and I are officially dating now," Lyra murmured, cheeks turning pink with a bit of naive embarrassment. "I... I kind of wanted to share one of my most precious secrets with you… and I was maybe hoping you'd do the same for me? I'd like to know one of your deepest secrets..."

"O-of course!" Kurt exclaimed, eyes lighting up at the opportunity of learning more about Lyra; he actually nodded so frantically that he fell over on his backside, but when he blinked at his own actions with a startled expression, the girl laughed loudly and covered her face with both hands.

"Well, okay, since you're so enthusiastic about it," Lyra giggled, wiping her eyes as her smiled faded a bit. "When I was a little girl, I had an unusual amount of talent with my voice. A lot of people in elementary school even called me 'Siren' because my voice was the only amazing thing I really had. I used to sing all the time because it made me feel optimistic and happy, but after I was abandoned by a foster family that I had actually started to love, I just couldn't do it anymore: the music didn't seem to be coming from the same place, and ever since that day I stopped singing for everyone."

"Really?" Kurt asked, blinking at the girl when she closed her eyes and smiled. "Zo... zat means ze feeling came back? I can hear you sing, Ja?"

Lyralianna smiled and nodded before she turned to face the horizon again; when she took a deep breath, a fierce wind unexpectedly swept through the trees and her long hair was blasted backwards like a rippling cloud of silver fire. Then, amongst a wind that carried the scent of flowers and new life, Lyra opened her soft mouth... and sang for the first time in nearly three entire years.

_"Beneath the veil of starry skies…_  
_As cold as winter's darkest night…_  
_It's there I sleep, silent and deep…_  
_Because I'm all alone."_

As she drew out the lyrics of the first verse, she slowly turned around and walked over to Kurt. Lifting her slender arms, Lyra wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled before swaying back and forth; his eyes softened when he got the hint, and he started moving with her.

_"A single prayer's soft melody…_  
_Across the lonely, silent fields…_  
_A little light begins to shine… shining on and on…"_

As Lyra gently belted out the verses of her mother's favorite song, she and Kurt danced around the hill with the wind playing with their clothes and caressing their hair. The demon closed his eyes and rested his chin on top of Lyralianna's head as she sang for him and danced with him.

_"You watched me as I so peacefully dreamed…_  
_I laughed like a child, happy and carefree…_  
_It's so familiar, and yet so far…_  
_That's the future promised for you and me…"_

Lyralianna Evangeline opened her eyes with a warm feeling in her heart when she felt Kurt's chin move on her head: she knew that he was smiling, but she was pretty sure that her father had felt the same way. She could understand why Kurt would smile after hearing this song for the first time… after all, it had captured her dads heart when he'd met her mother for the first time in his life. Her parents had fallen in love with each other on a day just like this one, in a place that was very similar... and this song was what had brought them together. It was for that reason Lyra was singing it to Kurt.

_"One day. on a green and shining morn…_  
_Is the day we will finally make it through._  
_'cause in this sky, so dark with winter…_  
_We still have to believe that it's true._  
_You're my field of hope."_

Lyra sighed and closed her eyes when she stopped swaying, and just like that the wind that had encased them slowly faded away. A very happy looking Ororo Munroe tiptoed back to the mansion with a silent fit of motherly giggles as the two teenagers hugged each other tightly.

"You zhink of me as your field of hope?" Kurt asked, looking down at her and touching her cheek with tender eyes. "You… love me zat much, Lyra?"

"You're the reason why I can look up at the sky and feel like everything will be okay," the girl admitted, looking up at him with adorably large eyes.

"Somehow, I feel like Gott has just answered all my prayers," Kurt murmured, looking at the ground as a breeze swept through his hair. "All my life, I've wizhed zat someone vould see me as somezhing more zhan a monster… as somezhin more zhan just a demon who grew up in a circus. Vhen I vas a little boy, people in ze crowd used to zhink zhat I had paint all over my body and zhat my tail vas part of my costume... ozher little kids vould alvays vant to play vith me, but vhen zheir parents realized zhat I vas actually… like _zhis,_ zhey vould take zhem avay and I vould alvays be left alone."

"I... I'm sorry..." Lyra whispered, swallowing hard when he crouched down to the ground and wrapped his spaded tail around himself; then he looked up at the girl with somber yellow eyes. When she crouched down and touched his arm, he sighed. "Kurt... I understand how awful it is to be alone."

"I know... and zats vhy I'll tell you a big zecret about myself… a zecret I've never told anyone," the demon stated firmly, cracking a bitter smile as his eyes became slightly haunted and far away. "I told you zhat I vas in ze Munich Circus, vight? Zhat everyone called me ze incredible Nightcrawler?"

"Yeah... in fact, it was actually the very first thing you said to me," the girl murmured, hooking a strand of hair behind her ear. "So... what about it?"

"Vell, remember how I zaid zat I vas known as Nightcrawler by my friends?" Kurt murmured, swallowing and averting his eyes. "Vell... none of zhose friends I mentioned are alive now... zhey have been dead for many years now, Lyra, because ze Munich Circus vas purposely burned to ze ground almost eight years ago. My fazher, Azazel, vas ze one who did it... and he still vants me erased from ze world today. My own fazher wanted to kill me vhen I vas born because he did not vant me… so a friend of my mozher's took me in and raised me as a circus performer. I've never met my mozher."

"W-what?" Lyra whispered, staring at him with stunned eyes as her heart froze. "You don't know who your... mother is?"

"_Nien,_" Kurt mumbled awkwardly, scratching the tip of his nose with a blush. "Unfortunately, all I have are unhappy zecrets… and none of zhem vill make you happy. Before I came to ze mansion, my life was very unpleasant... but hopefully, you and I vill be able to talk about our pasts togezher."

"Of course we will, Kurt, and I'll still be here afterwards!" the albino girl state firmly, gripping his shoulders and pulling him into a hug. "No matter what happened to you in the past, you're the boy I fell in love with! Everything that happened to you is what made you who you are today, and be it good or bad, it had to happen for a reason! Without those experiences, you would have become a different man than the one I'm looking at right now!"

"Vhy do you love me so much?" Kurt suddenly asked, cocking his head to the side. "I vant to know how you feel and vhy you feel zat vay."

"I love you b-because…" Lyra stammered, frantically searching for the words to her heart and failing; after a moment, she sighed and slowly closed her eyes in defeat. There was no other way to do this aside from being honest and blunt. "The reason why I love you as much as I do… is because you're the only person I've ever met who can make me feel like I'm not alone when I'm at my worst. You make me feel… like my heart's not broken anymore."

Just like that, Kurt stood up and lifted Lyra off the ground before spinning around in a circle.

"I love you because you say zhings like zat and make my heart happy," Kurt laughed, grinning as tears started streaming down his cheeks.

"Kurt!" Lyra squealed, closing her eyes with a gasp when he twirled her around; the girl laughed when he stopped spinning and pulled her close, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck. The two of them stood there for a long moment with their arms around each other, not even noticing when a beautiful aura of blue and red engulfed their forms in otherworldly radiance. The colors seemed to mesh as they embraced each other.

"How about I zhow you my one good zecret?" Kurt purred into Lyra's ear, making the girl blink and pull away from him in surprise; she felt her heart spazz out and she practically melted into a puddle on the ground when she saw the way he was smiling at her. That smile was the most handsome thing she had ever seen: it was a little sly, a little cocky, but at the same time completely sincere and extremely joyful. It made his yellow eyes sparkle in a way that had Lyra's stomach doing flips of every variety, and she honestly felt her knees going weak when he laughed at her stunned expression.

"O-okay," the girl whispered, feeling dazed when he wrapped his arms around her and teleported somewhere else; after the cloud of blue smoke cleared, Lyra looked around and realized that she was standing in the middle of the kitchen. The angel watched as Kurt hopped over to the radio and flicked it on, then adjusted it to the oldies station. Once the radio was playing an upbeat, classy tune, he danced over to the cupboards and started pulling out a large amount of ingredients. When he had everything he needed, he danced back over to Lyra and stretched out his hand with a wink.

"Care to dance vith me vhile ve make apple pies for our friends?" he asked, laughing in a cheerful manner when she jumped and did a double take; then the angel smiled and timidly joined in with the dance. She helped him get the apples out of the fridge, flapping her large wings as she did a little jig around the kitchen and gathered different ingredients; she started laughing hysterically when Kurt's tail playfully swatted her backside, and the two of them didn't even notice it when several people peered into the room every now and then to gawk.

They were having so much fun that it felt like time was flying by.

"You know?" Kurt laughed, taking her hand and twirling her around in a circle as they waited for the pies to finish baking in the oven. "I'm showing you ze best zecret of all time: how to make ze most delicious apple pies in ze whole vide vorld!"

"Well, that _is_ a big secret!" Lyra giggled, squealing with laughter when he dipped her. "Wow, you're an awesome dancer!"

"_Danke, Liebchen_!" Kurt chuckled, waggling his eyebrows before he pulled her upright and they continued their baking jig. By the time everything was finished baking, thirteen delicious homemade apple pies were resting on the counter and two happy teenagers were cuddled up against the fridge.

"That was the best… secret… _ever,"_ Lyra murmured happily, looking up at him with contented eyes. "I wish every day could have been like this while I was growing up. I feel like I belong here at the mansion, somehow… I really do. I don't know how it happened, but I feel I was mean to be here."

"Vell, zat's because you are," Kurt sighed, wiggling his ears with a small smile. "Zhis is your home."

"Yeah," Lyra murmured, closing her eyes with a smile. "I'm finally home."

* * *

**h.t.t.p.:/y.o.u.t.u**.**b.e./.L.x.q.m.z.h.e.i.7.X.I.**

**h.t.t.p.:/w.w.w. y.o.u.t.u.b.e . c.o.m./.w.a.t.c.h.?.v.=.L.x.q.m.z.h.e.i.7.X.I.&.f.e.a.t.u.r.e.=.y.o.u.t.u**.**be**

Copy and paste one of these two Links if you so desire and behold the enchanting voice of the Siren, Saskia! All you have to do is delete the spaces and periods** (EXCEPT FOR THE UNDERLINED ONE IN BOLD! Be careful, kk?!)** to get it to work for you in the bar! Enjoy! :D

/Lxqmzhei7XI


	19. Chapter 18: Incarnation of Evil

**Chapter Eighteen: Incarnation of Evil**

"Oh, wow… my word!" Storm murmured in surprise, eyes widening in amazement when Lyra, Kurt, Kitty, Jubilee, Warren, Rogue, and Bobby walked into the dining room with two steaming apple pies in each hand. "Don't tell me you guys made these all by yourselves!"

"Nope, just Lyra and Kurt," Kitty giggled, doing a happy little jig. "They made it all for us!"

"Yeah, so go ahead and eat it!" Lyra chirped with an innocent expression. "Just don't curl over and die… I don't want to get sued."

"Oh, be quiet, you," Rogue snorted, smacking her in the arm since she was the only person who was carrying one pie. "We won't keel over and die unless you put something strange in the food on purpose, moron!"

Lyra merely stuck her tongue out and set her pies down on the table in front of Storm, then turned to look at everyone as they did the same. After a moment, Kurt came over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders; Lyra smiled softly and touched his arm with her right hand before closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. Every moment she spent with him, it felt as though she were growing closer.

If she hadn't thought it was possible, she had been wrong because apparently... it was.

Dinner, needless to say, was absolutely amazing that evening: everyone was happy and completely full by the end of it, but the pies were happily empty of the platters by the time they started clearing away dishes. Lyra looked at Kurt and muffled a giggle when he happily wiggled his long ears: she knew he was proud of how everything had turned out, and for once she could understand why.

Doing something nice for other people was satisfying in its own way.

However, the moment she picked up her dishes and turned to take it to the kitchens, _it_ happened. Like smoke in a mirror, an apparition appeared in front of the girl and smiled down at her with eyes that she'd only ever seen in her nightmares. Dropping the plates and locking up in unholy terror, the angel froze like a statue and stared at his face with rigid muscles. He smiled down at her and made a gesture with his hands: he pointed at his wrist and tapped it, as though her were touching a non-existent watch.

When she glanced up with terrified golden eyes, he sneered.

_"You're running out of time, Little Gem," _he sniggered nastily. _"I'm coming for you."_

Then Storm was grabbing her arms and the apparition dissolved; Lyra's eyes were huge and she slowly turned to look at the white-haired woman with tears in her eyes. She was so frightened that she couldn't even open her mouth, only look at Ororo with a helpless expression that made her feel like an animal in a trap. Then, without speaking a word, Lyra bolted out of the room.

"What in the world?" Storm muttered, furrowing her brows in worry. "She looked… seriously scared for s second."

"Hey, Elf!" Logan called, poking his head through the door and startling the woman. "The professor wants to see you!"

"Vas?" Kurt asked, looking up in surprise. "Vhy does he vant to see me?"

"Just shut up and get your ass over here," Logan snapped, motioning to the door. The demon merely blinked and handed the dishes to Rogue before he trotted over to where the man was standing and heading out into the halls with him. The two males made their way to the main office and walked inside, where they saw the Professor sitting at his desk with a few papers in front of him.

"Ah, Kurt… there you are," he greeted kindly, gesturing toward the chairs. "Please, take a seat."

"Okay," Kurt murmured, furrowing his brows as he did what he was asked.

"Where should I begin… well, first of all, there are things that I've been meaning to discuss with you," Charles explained, smiling a little bit. "As of yesterday afternoon, a criminal has appeared and we need your help… as well as Lyralianna's. To put it simply, she's ready."

**TXXXXXT**

After Lyra had run to her bedroom and calmed herself down, she fanned her wings and sank down to the floor with a nervous sigh. She had been doing so well that she'd almost forgotten about the negative part of her existence… but still, there had to be a way around her future, so she was determined to do everything she could to fight it. There had to be a way to stop it.

There was always something.

After a few minutes of taking several deep breaths, Lyra looked at the ceiling and crossed her arms with a brave expression on her face. She needed to keep herself from being afraid of anything that was evil, especially since she knew she was getting close to facing her fears. Being the person who was destined to destroy the entire world wasn't easy to shoulder. After a moment, Lyra stood up and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

She always felt better after showering.

After she'd gotten back out again, Lyralianna paused and eyed her slender figure in the full length mirror with skeptical golden eyes: her angular body was adorned in nothing more than a set of black lace undergarments that Rogue had bought her for Christmas. Black lace and pearly white skin was an image that would have looked a lot classier if she hadn't been so skinny. The detailed design of the lace depicted wild roses that had been stitched in boldly, and even a tiny little stick-figure like _her_ had to admit that the underwear looked quite dashing against her ivory complexion. The pushup bra gave her A-cup breasts a natural-looking lift, and the cute little panties that Rogue had chosen for her accentuated the perkiness off her small bottom.

Walking up close to the mirror, Lyra examined her delicate facial features the way she had so many times since Kurt had said he'd loved her. Even though Jubilee had bought her a large selection of make-up during Christmas, she never wore it because it didn't feel right. She didn't like putting out an image that wasn't really hers, and the makeup made her lips feel sticky and it seriously irritated the skin on her face.

Walking to the other side of the room, her bare feet made no noise as they padded against the hardwood floor. The angel walked over to her closet and pulled out the white dress that Kurt had bought her so long ago… yet so recently. Once the back and shoulders of the outfit had been tied and her wings were through the opening, the girl examined herself in the mirror.

Twirling around, Lyra's long silver hair picked up altitude then cascaded back down in rippling waves of molten platinum.

Still figuring it wasn't enough, she decided to go a bit further: with a swift motion, the tiny girl rummaged through her bag and pulled out a pale pink ribbon before running both of her hands through her glossy hair. Then, after a moment of thought, she pulled the outermost layer of her hair back, tied it into a half-up ponytail with the ribbon, and braided the strands that stemmed from the ribbon. After she was done, she used another ribbon to tie her hair in place and checked her handiwork. As a final touch, the girl put the sunhat on her head and examined her reflection.

Satisfied with her appearance, Lyra stood up and smiled: for the second time in her entire life, she actually felt kind of pretty.

However, when someone placed a hand on her shoulder, the girl's heart froze and her knees buckled from the fright that swept through her. When she fell to her knees and covered her head, she was kind of alarmed when she heard Kurt squawking in alarm. The girl's head immediately whipped around to find Kurt standing behind her with large eyes and an open mouth.

"Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?" Lyra sighed in relief, standing back up. "For someone who's so tall, you walk quietly."

"I didn't mean to startle you again," Kurt murmured, looking at her with a nervous expression on his face. "Alzhough… you look absolutely stunning. I didn't zhink ze dress I chose was a good decision when I bought it, but it makes you look very, _very_ pretty."

"Really?" Lyra asked, smiling in a flattered manner. "You really think so?"

"Ja, I really do…" he murmured, eyes softening as he touched her hair. "It is a shame zat ze sun is setting… I vould have liked to spend all day vith you in zhis outfit. You truly look like an angel now, Lyra."

"Well, how about we… um, you know, like... go on a date tomorrow?" Lyra timidly suggested, looking down at the floor and twiddling her thumbs since her face was heating up. "I mean… since we're dating and all… would that be an okay thing to do?"

"I'm afraid ve can't do zhat tomorrow, Liebchen," Kurt murmured, closing his eyes and kissing the girl's forehead before resting his chin on top of her hair. "I vill be leaving for a mission tonight vith a team of X-men… and you are going on a mission of your own. I am zorry."

"Huh?" Lyra whispered, feeling the floor drop out beneath her feet. "You're… you're kidding with me, right? I mean... you can't be serious, can you? I'm not even completely in control of my elemental abilities yet, not to mention the other crap I can do—such as controlling the weather and causing things to explode because of the freakish lightning that zaps out of my body!"

"Liebchen," Kurt Wagner murmured, clutching her face with both hands. "I believe in you."

"O… okay…" Lyra whispered, leaning into the warmth of his palm as she locked eyes with him. "I'll trust you…"

For once… she honestly felt like everything would be okay if she tried to use her powers.

She didn't know why, but when he took her hand and led her towards the room where she would don her X-man uniform for the first time, she felt like the world around her was hers to control at nothing but a mere whim. Ten minutes later, Lyralianna was literally sitting on a high-tech jet between to Bobby and Kitty with an expression of extreme discomfort on her face. She constantly pulled at the Japanese high-school skirt that had been given to her before covering her exposed belly with both arms. She had initially thought it was some sort of joke, especially since she had been expecting to be wearing a non-flattering unitard or something… but Scott had actually told her to wear it.

"This skirt…" Lyra muttered, face turning red as she pressed her knees together, "is almost nine inches too short for my comfort zone."

"You can't deny that it looks cute as hell, though," Rogue pointed out. "I've never even seen a Japanese Schoolgirl outfit until today, but… well, I want one now. Where did Scott say he got it from so I can order one in the mail? I have a few ideas I'd like to try with it."

"Wow, I didn't know you guys were into kink!" Kitty gasped, eyes lighting up with mischievous glee when every person in the jet turned red. "Er, did I say something out of line again? Oopsies! Sorry about whatever I did wrong, again!"

"I heard from Logan that the professor ordered that thing because you're almost always wearing a school uniform…" Bobby muttered, eyeing Lyra out of the corner of his eyes. "I mean, we live in an academy that has freedom of expression, so the uniforms we're all given aren't mandatory."

"Well, _pardon_ me!" Lyra snapped, feeling a little defensive. "It's not like I _asked_ to have nothing but seven identical private school uniforms as my only clothes, you know! I just happened to have a really big _bitch_ of a foster mother who's ideas about taking care of children consisted of doing _nothing_!"

"Fair enough," Bobby sighed, lifting his hands in a 'no offense' pose before he smirked at Rogue. "Still... we definitely _should_ get you one."

"Why did this thing have to be green, of all colors?" Lyra unhappily whined, touching the sailor-like collar before touching the green scarf with an expression of distaste. "I mean, sure… I can understand the logic of getting me an outfit that suits my tastes, but why did it have to come in such an ugly shade of _green?_ I mean, I look like a neon slut-bunny for Christ's sake! This is the kind of thing that cosplayers who are into _hentai_ would wear!"

Kitty immediately burst out laughing, Bobby choked on his spleen, and Rogue's eye twitched with a barely-restrained grin.

"It's not funny!" Lyra snapped, seriously uncomfortable with how she looked. "Stop laughing!"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Kitty sniggered, covering her mouth with both hands. "Sorry! Sorry! I'm sorry! Bahahahahah! I'm so... sorreee-heeheeheeeee!"

"Ugh, you guys are really mean," the albino girl groaned, using her wings to hide herself: her little uniform had been personally tailored by someone to allow her wings to slide through two slits, and in the place where a school emblem should have been was a huge 'X' that marked her as an X-man. Lyra didn't really mind the skirt's length as much as she wanted to: it wasn't all that short since the skirt ended three inches above her knees, but at the same time she didn't like wearing miniskirts of any sort and she was extremely self-conscious. The top of the uniform was a typical sailor, but she had been given classic knee-length socks that looked too big for her skinny legs. A pair of brown dress shoes completed the outfit.

"We're landing!" Scott called from the front of the jet. "We're at the destination target!"

"Already?!" Lyra squeaked, stiffening in shock. "NO WAY! How'd we get all the way from New York to Texas in twenty minutes?! That's not even possible for an aicraft like this, is it?! I mean, to go that freaking fast you'd need a rocket of some sort!"

"It's possible for _our_ technology," Rogue murmured, smirking devilishly as the jet landed and everybody got ready to disembark; as Lyra was getting off, however, the girl noticed something flickering out of the corner of her eyes and turned. Her heart froze when she saw her mother. Lyra stopped walking and looked at the woman, shaking her head in horror.

"No…" the girl whispered, tears springing to her eyes. "No… you're not real… you're dead."

_"Lyra…" _the woman whispered, silver hair billowing around as her eyes became frantic._ "An angel's blood… by a demon's hand… shall save the dark disaster. Be careful: he loves you, but he will not hesitate to harm you if you attack him head on. Be careful… and live happily."_

Just like that, the apparition vanished and the girl was left breathing hard.

"You okay…?" Rogue asked, looking at her pale face with worried eyes. "You look like you've seen a ghost…"

"Something like that," Lyra shakily muttered, staring at the ground with frightened eyes. "Don't ask."

"All right, we're splitting into teams of two," Storm rapped out, dressed in the uniform that Lyra had first seen her in back at the school. "Shadow Cat, Rogue… I want you two to stick together since you have the advantage of virtual invulnerability as a team. Iceman, Angel, I want you both to scout around and see if you can find the one we're supposed to be apprehending."

Lyra nodded and watched with confused eyes as everyone present scattered at a run except for Bobby, who remained standing with his arms folded and his blue eyes fixed on her back. When the girl uncertainly looked around and glanced at him with a confused shrug, he smirked and gestured to follow him with his head. She silently nodded and followed him when he began walking in a seemingly aimless direction, not really knowing what to do.

"So… do we look around until we find something?" Lyra asked, looking up at Houstan's skyscrapers in awe. "I don't know how this really works."

"I usually try looking for the people who stand out the most," Bobby muttered, halting in his tracks. "Like that guy, who has a cloak over his body."

"That's probably him!" Lyra exclaimed, eyes widening before Bobby gripped her wrist and pulled her into a run; the shadowed figure bolted like a wraith the moment they moved, gliding down an alley at a rapid pace. Lyra and Bobby both sprinted after him, turning the corner just in time to see the cover of a sewer being slid back into place. "Oh… don't tell me he just… that he actually..."

"Yup," Bobby muttered in disgust. "Don't hold your breath."

"Ewwww!" Lyra whined, helping him remove the sewer cover once again. "That's sooo gross!"

"Ladies first," Bobby laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward expression.

"Hey!" the albino squeaked, pouting at him with angry eyes. "Are you a chicken or something?"

"No," the blonde boy snorted, pointing at her lower body. "You're just wearing a skirt!"

Lyra blinked in confusion before it hit her, and her face flamed bright red with mortification. In an instant, she hurriedly started climbing down the ladder… only to have the ladder break off. Lyralianna squeaked and clutched at the ground with shaking arms, but she couldn't get good purchase on it and slipped down the hole with a shriek; however, before she could fall, Bobby dropped to his knees and caught her left arm with both hands.

"O-okay, try putting your foot on the ladder," the boy stammered. "Can you do that?"

"I-I can try!" Lyra whimpered, slowly bringing her feet up and putting it on the next step with hesitant movements; however, the moment she put any sort of weight on it, that step broke as well and the resulting jolt of her weight coming down dragged bobby into the manhole as well. Both teenagers screamed as they plummeted to the bottom, but both came out pretty much unscathed aside from a few scratches and a dented wing.

"Ow…" Bobby muttered, rubbing his backside after he was back on his feet. "That hurt like hell."

"Sorry…" Lyra whined, clutching her aching head as she sat on the ground. Bobby took one glance at her before his face turned red and he started laughing, eyes lighting up with mirth before he looked away. "What's so funny over there? Did I… land in something gross?"

"No, but the position you're in makes you look like an anime girl," the boy sniggered.

"Ugh, shut up about the uniform already!" Lyra snapped, dusting herself off and rubbing the kinks out of her left wing before she glanced around. "Did you see where that guy went?"

"I heard footsteps that way," Bobby muttered, listening to the sounds of the sewer.

"Then let's get going already!" Lyra muttered, bouncing from toe to toe. "I wanna get out of everyone's used lunch before _I_ lose the awesome _dinner_ I had earlier, thank you very much!"

"You're kind of funny, you know that?" Bobby snickered, rolling his eyes. "No wonder Rogue likes you so much. All I ever hear these days is 'Lyra did this' or 'Lyra said that' and it kind of made me curious about what kind of person you really were. You seemed kind of antisocial."

"Thanks," the girl retorted flatly, concentrating on her feet and happily smiling in triumph when the soles of her shoes began sparking with electricity. After taking a few apprehensive steps back, the girl leapt forward and jogged using her super-speed: a trail of sparks was left behind her as Bobby became a lot smaller in second. He immediately started waving frantically and sprinted after her in an effort to catch up: when he finally did, she laughed at him.

"Jesus, you're a lot faster than you look," the boy muttered, looking down at her in surprise. "I never would have expected to see someone so tiny run that fast… it was kind of a shock!"

"Well, join the club," Lyra sighed. "I didn't even know how to use that ability until—"

"Angel! Watch out!" Bobby suddenly shouted; the girl whirled around and let out a shriek when a wall of water slammed into her and knocked her against the wall. She slid to the ground and shook her head, spluttering and completely drenched. "Move! You have to get up!"

When another wall of water went flying at the girl, she lifted her hands and her eyes rippled with a brilliant electric blue light: her wet hair immediately fanned out with the surge of power, and just like that, the wall of water that had been about to slam into her froze solidly. Bobby did a severe double take before shaking his head and running over, grabbing the girl beneath her arms and quickly pulling her back to her feet. She immediately shook her long hair out and winced.

"Thanks," Lyra whispered, quickly standing up and facing their opponent.

"Great work in luring her down her, Belial," a woman's voice suddenly purred."Fantastic job."

Lyra jumped when she realized that she and Bobby were surrounded by hooded figures on all sides.

"Why couldn't Storm have sent Logan with us?" Lyra whispered, feeling absolutely terrified of the situation they'd found themselves in. "At least then I would be freaking out so badly! That lady said _'her'_ not _'them'_ which means that they wanted to get their hands on _me_! Why is it always me?!"

"I have no clue," Bobby whispered back, "but we have to stick together and fight."

"I'm not very good at fighting yet, but I'll try my best," the angel whimpered, flicking her arms out and freezing a set of ice blades to the back of both her wrists. She took on a fighting stance soon afterwards, shivering violently as a blinding blue light obscured her iris and pupil. Once the teenagers started fighting, however, they quickly discovered that their plan to stick together wasn't quite working out: they ended getting separated from each other, leaving them both vulnerable. Bobby continuously froze the water and built barriers around his body when things became too intense or several people surrounded him, but Lyra wasn't as lucky. She was currently locked in a battle with Sarasa, who was using her three-inch nails fight against her. Oh… and let's not leave out the fact that her nails were coated in acid.

"EEP!" Lyra squeaked, ducking under a swipe of her claws and deflecting another; her ice blade immediately shattered because of the acid, so she hastily shot a lightning bolt at the woman. When that didn't work and she dodged, Lyra frantically threw a few fireballs at her and squealed in helpless fright when nothing seemed to work. However, the girl shrieked and jumped out of the way when someone attacked her from behind and a burst of light flew past her long hair. Lyra spun around and kicked her attacker in the face before darting back a few steps. However, the girl stumbled and looked down with wide eyes when her foot caught in the water; the girl struggled for a several moments to get her foot free, but her level of fright rose drasticallyh when she realized that the water was quickly sliding over her and wrapping around her body like a cocoon.

"ICEMAN! HELP!" Lyra screeched, struggling violently to get free. "HELP ME!"

The girl started screaming when the water slid over her nose and mouth, lifting her clean off the ground and suffocating her: the girl flailed around in the wall of water, clutching at her throat and kicking her legs as her long hair fanned out. She looked around with terrified eyes as the liquid forced its way down her throat and into her lungs. The girl felt her mind becoming hazy as she floated there in total silence… weightless… unable to breathe and slowly becoming sleepy.

"Enough. I never said to kill her," a purring voice suddenly murmured, breaking through the silence with an ominous echo; the girl's eyes opened when she saw a shadowed figure revealing itself from the shadows. Lyralianna felt ready to pass out by the time the water dropped: the girl immediately collapsed on her side , wings plastered to the ground and long hair soaked. She began coughing feverishly, choking on the liquid that burned its way back out of her lungs.

When she had finished coughing enough to see again, the girl looked and froze when she saw Lucifer standing a few yards away from her. His red eyes were glowing; she felt her heart stop.

"Welcome, Lyralianna Evangeline Montgomery…" the Father of Lies sneered at her, leering down at the girl with triumphant crimson eyes. "It's such a pleasure for me to have the very last Descendant of the Archangel Michael join us this evening. Unfortunately, our time for chit-chat is very short."

Only a moment later, the girl saw a huge boot coming towards her face... then she saw a flash of light and blacked out. When she was lying limply on the ground, the devil turned to look at Bobby with an evil smirk on his face; the blonde boy looked terrified of what was happening.

"You know what to do, Azazel," the fallen angel purred. "Follow the plan."

With that, Bobby was knocked unconscious by a man with dark red skin, jet black hair, a spaded tail, and malicious yellow eyes. The boy was then teleported away and left on the steps of the Academy with a note that had been attached for Xavier.

Ten minutes later, Logan found him and brought the inert teenager to the professor.

Storm and the others still hadn't returned from their initial search, but Kurt hadn't even left for his mission yet. He was still in preparation when the news came, but he dropped everything in an instant to figure out what was going on. Kurt bolted down the stairs and burst into Professor Xavier's office just in time to see Logan interrogate Bobby.

"Kid, you have to tell us what happened," Logan snapped, grabbing him by his shoulders.

"It was a trap… the mutant that we were sent after was part of an even bigger group," Bobby groggily explained, clutching his swollen temple with an angry expression. "They were expecting us... but… for some reason, I think they were only after Lyralianna."

"What's the note say?" Logan demanded, looking at the professor.

"It says something that I find very disturbing," the professor grimly stared, looking up at them with hard cerulean eyes. "_'The Gem was Born of Evil's fire, the Gem shall Be his Portal… He comes to Claim, he comes to Sire… the end of all things Mortal. The Gem has faltered and has thus been Damned. The Gem defied its Master. _ _But an Angel's blood by a Demon's hand… shall save the Dark Disaster.' Aside from that, it only says, 'Come get her, Demon Spawn of Mine."_

Kurt felt his stomach lurch and he froze, staring blankly out at nothing. His ears stuck straight out, his limbs locked to his side, and for a moment he felt as though he were going to pass out: it even got to the point where spots started swimming in front of his eyes and made his ears ring.

His father was the one who'd kidnapped Lyra… which meant…Azazel had her at his mercy.

"_Nien_…" the demon whispered, slowly clutching his hair with shaking hands. "_Nien…_"

Without another word, the young man bolted from the room despite the protests his departure cause: his muscles pumped as he leapt over the hall banister and teleported into bedroom. The boy knew for a fact that he had a picture of Houstan Texas in an atlas on his shelf, and he was going to use that image as a way of getting there. Ripping the tome open with frightened eyes, the demon rapidly flipped through the pages until he found the one he wanted. Then, after looking at the photo with a catlike growl, he focused his mind with every ounce of power he had inside his body.

And with that, he disappeared from the face of New York in a cloud of blue smoke.

TXXXXXT

"It's time to wake up, Little Gem," a sinister voice purred. "Don't make me crush your throat."

"Huh?!" Lyra squeaked, bolting upright and jumping away from whoever was talking to her; after a moment of blinking rapidly, she swayed and her eyes crossed before she fell over again with a groan. "Owww… I feel like I got hit by a semi truck… what did you people _do_ to me?"

"Only set the future in motion, as your should already know," Lucifer cackled, drawing a finger along her chin and playing with a few strands of her long hair; the girl swatted at his arms but gasped when he suddenly appeared on top of her and slammed his hands down on the bed.

She was literally trapped beneath the devil.

She shivered when he smiled and revealed his long fangs: then, with a seductive chuckle, he clamped his huge hands over her wrists and lowered his head. The girl immediately began to struggle in an effort to get away from him, letting out angry shrieks and hysterical curses. Then his fangs sank into her neck and she couldn't move: she had become frozen in place.

Visions immediately began to overtake her: the dark area she was lying in completely dissolved and a fierce wind suddenly burned across her face, lifting her long hair towards the sky. Her eyes widened and her throat closed right on top of a hysterical screech when she saw that the sky had turned red and there was destruction all around her. Lyra trembled with hysteria as she stared her worst nightmare in the face, mouth tight with terror.

Blood.

Destruction.

Death.

Rot.

And all of it was her fault.

"Yes," the Father of Lies hissed deliciously, licking a bit of her blood from his teeth. "That's right, little Lyralianna… the destruction is your fault, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Your hopes and your dreams are futile and insignificant when compared to the fate of the world."

"No…" the girl whimpered, staring up at the skeletons of people who had died nearby. "This isn't really happening! It's only a vision! It's not real!"

"Oh, but it _is_ real," Lucifer chuckled nastily, mouth splitting into a maniacal grin. "It's a vision of the world you were born to create, you poor, sweet, tender little angel. In fact… let me tell you a true story about _another_ terrified little girl who went through the same thing you did, Lyra: her name was Rachel Roth, and she lived in an adorable little 'T' shaped building with her friends in California. They all tried to fight against naughty bad guys!"

"Stop it…" Lyra whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. "No more… I don't want to hear it!"

"You see," Lucifer innocently continued, smiling when sje started crying, "Rachel had a history that was very similar to yours: she had uncontrollable powers, a terrible past, and everywhere she went people scorned her and hurt her. She even caused the death of her own mother, which is kind of an ironic coincidence. Rachel also thought she was alone until she was accepted into a place that was exactly like the one _you_ were welcomed into."

"STOP!" Lyra wailed, unable to stop crying. "STOP TALKING! NO MORE!"

"Rachel was born under the very same prophecy as you were, Lyra…" Lucifer purred, cocking his head back in triumph when the girl froze. "She ended up rebelling against her father, Trigon, who rules over the seventh level of hell: because of her defiance, there was no way to correct the mistake she made because she was not an angel. That only left us one other option: to use the _other_ Gem that was born under the same star of destruction. You were born simply to open up an alternate path to release hell on earth... and it is simply because you _exist_ that pain is brought to other people."

"NOOOOOOO!" Lyra screeched, eyes flaring from glittering gold to electric blue in an instant. "STOP!"

Just like that, power erupted from her body with a surge of wind and her wings began to spark with blue electricity; the entire ground trembled violently in the face of her wrath, and the angel instantly bared her fangs at the Father of Evil with an expression of unbridled hatred on her face.

"My, my, my…" Satan murmured, cocking an eyebrow. "You've got quite the temper. Calm yourself."

"No..." Lyra hissed, spitting into his face and purposely allowing her wrists to catch on fire. The demon lord merely laughed at her attempts and squeezed her wrists so tightly that they snapped completely in half; the girl screeched and squeezed her eyes shut only a second before a spray of white lightning literally exploded from the cross on her chest: it threw the devil clean off of her,

"HELLFIRE!" he snarled, clutching his forehead in agony; when he looked up again with a hiss, the imprint of her cross had been burned into his skin. Satan flew forward like a wraith when Lyra leapt to her feet and tried to bolt, lashing out and pinning the girl against the wall. She shrieked and fought against him, but when he drew his fist back and slammed it into her gut, the air was momentarily knocked out of her lungs. He then sank his fangs into her neck, biting so deep that he drew blood; a second later, the girl let out a screech and conjured more white lightning before trying to run away again. The devil merely snatched her by the hair and dragged her back before pressing his lips against the bite and smiling.

Moments later, the angel felt something burning through her veins... and all conscious control of her body seemed to leave her.

"Halt, wench…" he hissed, trailing his nails over her throat. Inside her mind, Lyralianna was still screaming for him to get away from her and to let her go, but she was unable to move her body of her own free will. The girl trembled violently and she felt like she was going to cry, but then she realized that her eyes weren't even burning: she couldn't even let her tears flow freely.

_I'm trapped,_ Lyralianna realized, heart thudding rapidly in terror.

"Sing for me, any song you like," Satan sneered, sitting down on the bed and leaning back with his hands laced behind his head. Lyra realized that she wouldn't be able to do anything or even open her mouth until she thought of a song… but unfortunately, she didn't know any.

Unbidden, thoughts of her parents filled her mind and she involuntarily began to sing.

_"My heart underneath… still cries quietly._  
_This part of me… I just choose not to see._  
_How many hearts must I break … for my own safety's sake?_  
_How many more tears will stain… this lake full of pain_?"

_"Your Hate leaves it's trail in moonlight so pale…_  
_It's shadows they flow… in rivers and rivers._  
_I'll put on my mask; I'll go where they ask…_  
_So I might once again see the Roses of May."_

_"Staining my soul and stinging my eyes…_  
_The red on my hands… won't wash away, wash away!_  
_Nowhere to run… from what I have done!_  
_I'm no longer, no longer a Rose of May!"_

Lyralianna's eyes stares straight ahead even though she wanted to start crying her eyes out: this song was her emotions being put into words, and she hated it… she hated everything about it. She didn't want to listen to how she truly felt… she couldn't handle it for something like this.

_"Fate holds the Blade before me, mirrored in a Demon's eyes._  
_Far from forgiveness, I was thrust into the perilous skies._  
_Yet Fate will call the name He gave me: fear will fall and courage will rise._  
_I will leave all of my tears behind me: far from where Innocence lies.'"_

_"'Storm clouds are creeping closer! Danger is drawing near!_  
_Why am I not protecting all that I now hold dear?!'_  
_I must break free of all that holds me: Demon's hand and Angel's tears._  
_I will run back into His arms: together we'll conquer our fears."_

Lyra secretly felt pleased when Lucifer's eyes darkened with anger, and unbidden, she looked him straight in the eyes.

_"Led here by Fate; I'm no longer afraid... so here now I lay… my Roses of May."_

"Has anyone ever told you that you're an excellent singer?" the Father of Lies asked.

"Yes," Lyra replied emotionlessly, standing still as a statue.

"Who told you this?" the demon demanded.

"Kurt Wagner," Lyralianna obediently recited. "He is the one who gives me hope."

"Well… since you were naughty and fell in love with a demon, I think we should continue our conversation from earlier," the Father of Lies sneered, getting up and shoving her down onto the ground with viciousness rarely seen. "How about I show you how savage we demons really are?"

_No… _ Lyra whispered inside her mind, unable to move or stop him when he pressed his lips against her throat; she trembled when he kissed her neck and bit at it for self pleasure. The devil laughed into her ear as his hands slid across her body without permission, sliding up her Japanese school shirt and brushing against her slender stomach. _W_hen his hands tried to slide beneath her skirt, however, her legs twitched and her head tilted back at the same moment that her eyes flared with a brilliant blue light. Her long hair billowed up towards the ceiling as her power was restrained by the control had over her, but that didn't mean he could stop her energy from building up: as the devil sneered, Lyra continued to stare at the ceiling with glowing eyes and weightless hair. Her entire body was sparking like crazy, and her abnormally pale skin seemed to be emitting a beautiful blue glow.

"Aw, is the little angel getting mad?" the devil taunted, roughly grabbing the girl's legs and attempting to force them open; her powers surge so violently that the very air around her started to crackle with a buzzing sound, and her long hair began whipping around. However, her knees remained squeezed together despite what he was doing, and that made him frown a little. "Open your legs and submit to me, wench."

"_No_…" Lyra hissed out, glaring at the ceiling as two tears trickled from her eyes. "_Never_…"

It was then that the woman known as Sarasa came into the room through a sliding rock, halting Lucifer from molesting her any further than he already had: the woman's crimson eyes widened in surprise and she halted in her tracks when she saw the state that Lyra was in..

"What do you want?" the Devil growled irritably. "I'm busy."

"We have company," the woman murmured. "More are on the way, as well."

"Finally," Lucifer hissed, looking down at Lyra's glowing form with nasty red eyes. "It seems as though they've finally come for you. Now, let's see what they really think of you, Come, little angel… come with me, for we can't keep your company waiting. Let's give them a show!"

Lyra's body continued to glow and spark even as she involuntarily followed him out of the room. She couldn't do anything at all, and she didn't like where this was going. She felt her terror rising up even as she fought back her rage at what was happening to her: this wasn't going to end well at all.

After all, she was the strongest person in the entire Academy… right?

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to kill your own friends?" Lucifer asked. "Well, get used to the thought, because you're about to do it."

It was then that he grabbed the angel by her hair and threw her to the ground; she tumbled forward and rolled before robotically getting back up, long silver hair billowing around in a weightless manner as she did so. Lights came to life all over the place, but when Lyra involuntarily looked up, her heart nearly stopped and her powers fizzled out. The weightlessness dissolved, her body returned to normal, and her fingers stopped sparking.

"Liebchen!" Kurt cried, waving his arms. "Zank Gott! Let's get out of here!"

The girl merely stared at him with vacant eyes, not making a sound or moving a single muscle: she wanted to scream for Kurt to run away, to get out and go get help when she felt Lucifer wrapping his hands around her throat from behind and pulling her against his chest.

"Hello, Son of Azazel," Lucifer greeted happily, tightening his fingers. "Care to join us?"

"Get… your… hands… off… my… woman!" Kurt hissed, baring his fangs like an animal as his ears shot up. "Right now! Let her go zhis intrant before I do zomezhing ve vill both regret!"

"Well, if you're going to be so testy," Lucifer sniggered, licking the wound on Lyra's throat before shoving her forward, "you can have her."

"Vas?" Kurt muttered, watching as Lyra straightened herself and looked straight ahead. "Vhat's going on here...?"

"Kill him," the Father of Lies hissed, sentencing the girl to her fate; after that, her body had a mind of its own and she ran forward at full speed.

Her feet sparked and a trail of lightning was left to stretch from the floor to the ceiling in the places she sprinted; fireballs the size of minivans and ice shards longer than telephone poles flew from world around her hands toward Kurt. The demon ducked and covered his head with both hands: a red blast of energy exploded from his body and deflected the majority of the attacks, but he was burned on his side by another ball of fire soon afterwards. The girl flipped into the air and stomped onto the ground with both feet, sending a surge of plant life and earth ripping up from the ground; then she spread her wings and lifting her hands in a graceful manner, channeling the air around her into a beam of fire.

Lyra's eyes were wide as she did all this, but Kurt took one blow after another without fighting back and the girl was panicking badly inside her mind. Every time she hurt him, she felt as though her heart was losing another piece… every time he hit the ground and got back up, she felt the healing wounds of her past fraying and cracking once again. Her mouth trembled violently and her eyes began streaming tears as she continued attacking.

She was hurting the boy she had fallen in love with.

"You can't fight back, can you?" Lucifer asked deliciously. "You're too much of a coward."

"I von't ever fight her," Kurt angrily squeaked, dodging another attack. "I promised her! I promised her zhat I vould never leave her side and zhat I vould never, eber hurt her! I vill not fight my Lyra!Zhis is not her! Even I, someone vith no love for battle, know better zhan to zhink zat!"

"I'm impressed," Satan sneered, "but that won't save you from being killed by the girl you love."

Kurt kept his eyes trained on Lyra as she continued to attack him, staring straight at the tears streaming down her ashen cheeks and dripping off of her chin every time she moved. He knew… he knew for a fact that she wasn't doing this on purpose. He could see it in her eyes that this was hurting her even more than it was hurting him: she looked like she was breaking.

His angel looked like she wanted to die.

"LYRALIANNA!" Kurt roared, teleporting behind her and rapidly tackling her to the ground; he wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could and buried his bleeding face in her hair; the girl started struggling against him as he held her tightly in his arms, pinning her down. "Please, Liebchen, fight it... fight it as hard as you can! You have to beat zhis! I know you can! I believe in you, so please! Fight!"

"K...Kurt..." Lyra choked out, tears spilling down her face as her heart cracked. "Run…"

That was all the girl could manage to get out before her powers surged and a wave of lightning exploded from her body: the boy she loved rolled away from her and lay limply on the floor. When Lyra's body lifted itself ten feet off the ground and her wings spread themselves wide, a roar of gale-force wind erupted around her and she lifted her palm with a horrified expression. A second before the lightning exploded out of her hand, the angel was sent flying into a wall by one of Scott's laser beams: help had finally arrived, but all Lyra could do was lay limply on the floor and cry her eyes out.

She had been rendered unable to move and burning from the agony coursing through her.

"STOP!" Kurt wailed, flailing his arms as he struggled to all fours and looked at Scott.

"She was going to kill you!" the man argued. "What the hell is going on here, Kurt?!"

"Get back up, Lyra," Lucifer spat, marching forward and grabbing the girl by the back of her shirt; when she was dragged to her feet, the girl couldn't even stand upright on her own. The demon rolled his eyes before he licked her bite mark and her body went rigid in obedience.

"Now…" he began, leaning his lips down to my ear. "Kill everyone and use your _full_ power to do it."

Lyra's yellow eyes went wide in horror as the air around her body suddenly became still, and before she could blink the world was filled with a ringing silence; everyone in the room, both good and bad, stopped what they were doing as an ominous feeling of static filled the air. Every single flashlight shorted out a few seconds later, and even Lucifer backed away with a slight expression of alarm lacing his movements when the natural light dimmed.

"Not again…" Lyra whispered, vacant expressions twisting into agony before she squeezed her eyes shut and regained control of her body. By that point, it was too late: the second before she felt it coming, she whirled around and created a barrier of diamond by super-heating the coal-embedded walls: Diamond was the only thing that could withstand her power, and she was definitely going to take advantage of what she had since this was it.

She had only lost control like this once before… and it was on the day Maki had been murdered right in front of her.

Within seconds, Lyra's pupils dilated and flared with an inner multicolored light, long silver hair fanning out with a surge of static electricity as she lost control. The girl fell to her knees and screamed hysterically as lightning exploded out of her body and lanced against the diamond barrier with deafening cracks that left her ears ringing. All of a sudden, the ceiling above her was ripped away and a huge bolt of lightning roared down from the sky, striking the earth not even a foot away from her. More deafening cracks and blinding flashes echoed around the girl as the flow of her power intensified: squeezing her eyes shut and shrieking in pain, the girl unwillingly unleashed the fury of God on the people who had been a family to her.

More lightning bolts lanced down from the sky with a barrage of hailstones, and writhing streams of electricity snapped out of her body, tearing chunks of diamond from the barrier. The earth around her began to quake as the sky above turned green, and a swirling vortex soon began to descend, whipping up the sand around her trembling form and causing even Lucifer to blink in surprise: a twister was descending around her.

Yet she was completely unaffected by it.

Lyra burst into tears and doubled over, large wings fanning out as she clutched at the ground with shaking fingers: her long silver hair began to rise and her uniform billowed around her body as the tornado descended, sheltering the girl in the center of its gentle depths. Then, lifting her head towards the sky, the angel screamed to the heavens before she passed the point of no return.

"GOD!" Lyra screeched, squeezing her eyes shut. "GOD, HELP ME! HELP ME, PLEASE!"

"Lyra!" Kurt cried, voice extremely muffled as he pounded on the diamond cocoon. "Lyra!"

"DON'T LET ME LOSE EVERYONE I CARE ABOUT!" the tiny girl wailed at the thundering sky, tears flying towards the heavens as the twister roared around her. "IF YOU'RE THERE, PLEASE! PLEASE, GOD, SAVE ME FROM MYSELF AND STOP EVERYTHING! HELP!"

"KILL KURT WAGNER!" Lucifer roared, red eyes flashing to black in an instant. However, as she continued to be the Lord for Divine intervention, the cross on her chest began to glow with white light... and just like that, the girl stiffened before she slowly stood up. Instead of attacking, Lyra merely looked over her shoulder with a broken expression in her eyes and smiled at the boy she had fallen in love with. Her silver hair billowed around as she looked at him with the saddest expression he'd ever seen… and it was only because she was _smiling_ with that expression that his heart cracked.

'_Liebchen…'_ Kurt whispered, pressing his hands against the diamond. '_Please… don't…'_

"I'm sorry," Lyra murmured, turning her eyes away from his and looking at the sky with an expression of helplessness on her face.

Then, lifting her hand to her throat, the girl ripped the cross off and used her fire to melt it the end of it into a dagger point. She swallowed hard… then closed her eyes and plunged it as deep into her chest as it could go before letting out a gasp of pain. The cross immediately shut off the flow of power, but the girl sank down to her knees, clutching the cross with shaking hands; the diamond walls around her shattered into a million pieces and rained down on her in a glittering shower as she slowly collapsed on her side. Kurt's eyes slowly widened as she fell over, long hair swirling around.

When she hit the ground, his heart nearly stopped.

Then he found himself running forward… and clutching her hand… and staring into her dazed golden eyes with tears streaming down his cheeks. His ears pulled down toward the ground when she smiled up at him and gently pulled the cross out of her chest; blood spilled down her chest almost immediately, and the boy hastily ripped his sweater off to press it against the puncture.

"I did it…" Lyra whispered, smiling in triumph. "I heard God, Kurt… he exists… he's real. He told me to to stab myself with the cross, and it worked!"

"Shhh…" the demon frantically shushed, pressing his sweater even harder against her injury when he saw blood soaking through it. "Be still."

"I've had enough of this…" Lucifer snarled; drawing a gun and pointing it at Kurt's back. "Die!"

That was it: Lyra's eyes widened and she used the last of her strength to shove Kurt away from her.

A deafening crack resounded in the air, and everything instantly slowed down.

"L… Lyra…?" Logan whispered, having walked into the area just in time to see what happened to the girl; she slowly looked down at herself and saw blood streaming from the right side of her lower chest. The world be just run into the area in time to witness what hadgan to tilt as the girl's arms buckled and she fell backwards, long silver hair billowing out like a rippling cloud and yellow eyes glazed over with pain. When she hit the ground and went still, every single person in the room froze.

"LYRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Kurt roared, scrambling over and clutching the girl's arm with terrified yellow eyes. "LYRA! LYRA! LYRA! NIEN! DON'T DIE!

"Scott!" Storm cried, rushing over to the girl's aide; moments later, a beam slammed right through the area where Lucifer had been standing. The demon had dissolved without a trace, leaving behind everyone he'd tormented. "Let's get Lyra out of here right now!"

"Kid, don't you dare fucking die on me," Logan angrily rapped out, clutching the girl's free hand as the group carried her to where the jet was parked.

"You're starting to sound like a cranky old man, Daddy," Lyra mumbled, cracking a weak smile before her eyes closed. "Don't worry… I'll be… fine!"

Minutes later, her eyes closed and her body went limp.


	20. Chapter 19: Visions of the Future

Two things today! Yay! :D

First, I just wanted to ask if y'all noticed the changes in the story image cover: I worked SO hard to make it look less anime-ish!

And second... to everyone who has been following me so diligently, I have a surprise for you on youtube. It's not anything special, trust me, but if you guys wanna see my handiwork then I suggest going to** Youtube **and typing in** "Spaded Tails and Feathered Wings!" **If the video doesn't come up right away, then look up my channel and get it there. The username is Jedediah Burnette. Anyway, thanks for following the story-so-far, and I hope this chappie is just as good as the rest**. **

(Ps: the surprise is basically just a reenactment of Lyra's experiences in this particular chapter, as WELL as a preview for the story!)

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: Vision of the Future**

_Lyra slowly opened her eyes to the sound of a distant thunderclap in her ears: her long silver hair swirled around her face as she lay hovering in darkness, but the world around her was completely devoid of everything that made it a world. There was no sound… no sight… no smell… no taste… and no feeling in her limbs. She slowly opened and closed her eyes, trying to figure out why her body felt so cold: a wavering ringing noise was echoing in her ears._

_Just like that, a blinding flash seared behind her eyes with another distant crack of thunder, and a beeping sound started to form a rhythmic thrumming in her ears. When she slowly opened her eyes again and faced the darkness, the sound of musical strings began to ring hauntingly inside her ears. Then the ringing noise hit her again… and it grew to a deafening pitch before cutting off. _

_Another blinding flash abruptly seared her mind, and the ringing noise came back for a few seconds… but then it started growing loud yet again and abruptly cutting off: it was almost as though the darkness around her had swallowed the sound. Suddenly, she was inexplicably hovering above a city with gleaming windows: it was the middle of the night, and there were hundreds of cars driving far below her. The entire city had neon lights and Asian logos._

_The Capital of Japan. _

_A second flash of light erupted inside her head with a clap of thunder, and the ringing noise abruptly came back: she suddenly saw moving silhouettes in the light behind her eyes. However, when the flash faded and the ringing noise cut off again after getting loud, there was an entirely different city stretching out beneath her feet. It was in the middle of the afternoon, and several exotic-looking sandstone buildings were shining like bright gold beneath the sun._

_The capital of India._

_A third flash of light blinded the girl for a moment, and she gasped when she saw a huge shadow reaching out to her from behind a blinding light, clasping her cheeks and trying to get to her with frantic motions. The ringing noise momentarily came back for a moment, but then it grew loud and abruptly cut off. Another city was suddenly looming beneath her, and it was most likely early morning considering the fact that everyone looked sleepy._

_This was her home: New York City,_

_A fourth flash blinded her, but she twitched when she felt a shock searing throughout her muscles; the ringing noise came back and changed into a beeping sound for several seconds before it started ringing again and cut off after growing louder. The angel abruptly saw the world from somewhere out in space: the planet Earth was resting beneath her feet, and the haunting music she had been hearing all along began to take on a slightly menacing tune. _

_Just like that, a disembodied male voice began singing as she hovered out in space._

**_ "I'll return from darkness… to save your precious skin…"_**

_The moment before those lyrics seared through her, a fifth flash shocked her body and she was suddenly looking down at a crowd of people standing stock still in the middle of a large city. They were all staring at the sky with upturned faces, eyes wide with identical expressions of fear. She got another planetary view of the earth before the music hit her and everything went black._

_Then another flash hit her and she saw a young man spinning his daughter around in circles: both of them were standing in the backyard of their home, and they were smiling even as they cried and hugged each other, Then the image faded back to black and the ringing noise gained in volume before abruptly cutting off once again. _

_She instantly heard another verse of the song._

**_"I will end your suffering… and let the healing light come in…"_**

_Lyra flinched when another flash seared her eyes, and suddenly she saw a red-haired girl with curly hair and lime green eyes looking up at the sky. The skirt of her dress was blowing in the wind as she stood on top of a hill with a boy who looked a few years younger than her: the two of them were standing among ancient-looking Irish ruins, and she slowly clasped the boy's hand. For some reason… the sun seemed to be moving across the sky. _

_Then the image faded away with that same disturbing ringing noise, and Lyra winced when the sound unexpectedly cut off again. Then another flash blinded her, and she twitched when she saw an old black man standing on top of an abandoned taxi cab in the middle of an empty city. There were abandoned cars all around, and nobody was on the streets except for the old man. _

**_"Sent… by forces beyond salvation…"_**

_Lyra's heart stopped when she saw the man's sign before the vision faded: he was holding a piece of cardboard that actually said 'The Apocalypse is Here.' Before she could get a better glimpse, another flash seared throughout her mind and almost electrocuted her in the process. More of those shadowed silhouettes appeared in front of her eyes before the ringing noise grew loud and cut off; the shadows in the light were quickly replaced with an image of a skinny man looking down at his son, who was holding a pair of binoculars and looking out of a window. The man lowered his head and tears slid down his cheeks when his little boy smiled. _

_Then the image went dark with a distant rumble of thunder._

**_"There… can be not one sensation…"_**

_Lyra's entire body jolted violently and another blinding flash seared through her with a distant clap of thunder. The girl suddenly saw an entire crowd standing in front of a huge building, and all of them were holding candles as they prayed. She saw children, mothers, and entire families standing together in huddled crowds. They were all staring up at the sky with frightened eyes. _

_However… instead of fading out like she was expecting, the vision exploded with light and she saw enormous meteors raining down from the sky. The girl gasped when she got flashes of people living all around the world: a crowd in Los Vegas was staring up at the sky, a family of six was standing in the middle of their home and hugging each other, an Asian woman with beautiful eyes was standing inside of her penthouse with a hand pressed against her window. _

_A little boy no older than six was sitting alone in the dark with his hands over his ears. _

_Tears were trickling down his nose._

_Another flash jolted her body and she went numb, eyes slowly widening as she got blinding visions of entire cities going dark at a rapid pace. Cities all over the world flashed into darkness as the electricity started going out, sending family homes into shadow and people on airplanes towards the ground. Trains began to crash and boats started stopping in the middle of the ocean. _

_Then… with a final blinding flash… she saw herself and Kurt. _

_Tears were streaming from his large eyes as he pressed his lips against hers and abruptly slammed a huge carving knife through her stomach. Lyra twitched when she saw herself doubling over and falling to her knees; then her blood started pooling on the floor, and the ground immediately began to open up. A burning portal slowly spread out, setting fire to the room as Lyra slowly looked up at Kurt with a stunned expression on her pale face. Hell on earth was soon revealed, and the portal vanished. _

_Nearly seventy five more rose up in the sky, the water, and in several ancient ruins, but the last appeared up in space._

**_"A world on fire with a smoking sun stops everything and everyone…"_**

_A deafening crack of thunder ripped through the girl's head and she screeched as the light blinded her once again. A split second later, she saw the blue-eyed Japanese woman staring out of her penthouse… but now, instead of seeing a beautiful Asian city nightscape, there was a huge pillar of fire erupting far in the distance: a meteor had just slammed into the middle of the city. _

_Trees were swept back in the fiery wind as a single tear slid down the woman's face; she gently pressed a hand against the glass and watched as buildings dissolved in showers of sparkling glass and deadly flame. Then the fire from the impact ripped through the woman's penthouse and her pretty face locked in a horrifying scream of agony. _

_She was soon burned alive in her home, body flying away into pieces of ash and bones dissolving. _

**_"Brace yourself for all will pay…"_**

_Another flash jolted through Lyra, and Meteors were suddenly raining down on cities all over the world: people leaned out of their windows and watched with terrified eyes as huge balls of fire rained down out of the sky. More and more cities with fire raining down from the sky began to flash behind her eyes: the angel wanted to run away from the horrid sights when the meteors began smashing into the earth, but all she could do was watch. She was helpless to flee from this._

_Burning rocks the size of towering buildings soon started slamming into mountainous terrain before the location flashed again and she was staring at a Russian city. The girl's heart jolted and she nearly let out a scream when a huge asteroid slammed into the city, sending clouds of fire and debris through it and ripping everything apart: it was like watching a nuclear missile with fifteen times the power rip through a city full of people. Within seconds, the wave of fire and ash was right in front of her eyes._

_Another flash of light sent her somewhere else._

_For a moment, she saw a Chinese boy clutching his girlfriend's arm as a huge skyscraper broke in half and came crashing down towards them; then she saw a group of people hiding inside a school building cowering down as a wall of fire engulfed them in a burning cloud of death. Everyone was burned to ashes in seconds. Lyralianna trembled in horror when she saw meteors slamming into cars and sending people flying; she wanted to scream when she saw the Eifel Tower coming down on crowds of people; she wanted to do something, anything, other than watch as people were burned alive by the disaster she was going to create. _

_Then she saw another flash of light and suddenly, a sleepy-looking little boy with curly blonde hair looked out of a window. _

_He covered his mouth and froze when he saw burning animals running out of the forest behind his home. Several charred bodies were lying dead all over the place in his backyard, and even as he looked around in a terrified manner, his house caught fire before it disintegrated in a blast of searing gale-force wind. His skin dissolved as he was blasted back, and his skeleton jerked as he was burned alive within seconds. Lyra screeched before another flash of light blinded her; she shook in horror when she saw a beautiful little girl with long brown hair running towards her mother across a grassy plain. _

_The girl's eyes sparkled as the woman lifted her up and spun her around in a circle, both of them pressing their noses together even as the fire shredded towards them from the distance. The angel felt her heart squeezing as she tried to wake up from the nightmare she'd been caught in, but she was unable to do it and her heart felt heavier with each passing second. The woman and her child were soon burned alive by the fire that shredded across the world. _

_Millions of people began flashing in front of Lyra as she hovered there in darkness. _

_She saw a homeless man shielding his dog as the gleaming city around him exploded with fire; she saw a black woman clutching her infant son as she fled from the flames roaring across an African city; she saw an elderly couple hugging their orphaned grandson even as their house exploded around them; she saw a man and woman kissing each other with love in their eyes even as they were burned alive. Then she saw a little girl with long silver hair standing in front of her._

_The child was staring at her with soft golden eyes and a familiar face._

_"Look at me!" she whispered, smiling in an eerie manner. "I'm burning the whole world!"_

_Just like that, the child caught fire with a hysterical laughed and vanished in a pile of ash. _

_Not even a second later, the ringing returned and a rapid beeping noise filled the air: the images of death and destruction slowly dissolved as the silhouettes she had seen earlier began to swim out of the blinding light. After a moment, she felt tears begin sliding down her cheeks. One last verse of the song was echoing inside her mind._

**_"Help is on the way…"_**

**TXXXXXT**

**"**Kid!" Logan roared, clutching her hand with frightened brown eyes. "KID! YOU CAN'T DIE! OPEN YOUR EYES!"

"Scott, get him away from her!" Hank snapped, charging the defibrillator again and shocking the girl's chest once the thrashing man had been dragged towards the wall. After the initial shock, the girl's heart rate appeared to improve and her blood pressure normalized for a few moments, but just like every other time in the last twelve minutes, the electrocardiograph began bleating sporadically before displaying a ringing flat line. His heart plummeted since the girl was still going into fits of cardiac arrest.

"We're still losing her!" Hank exclaimed, voice wavering with desperation before he shot a frantic look at Storm, who was covering her mouth with both hands. "Ororo, heighten the charge for the defibrillator! Fifty volts, stat!"

The woman instantly scrambled to do as she was told and turned the knob.

"Clear!" Hank shouted, instantly sending electricity jolting through the girl's body in an attempt to get her heart pumping once again. After the first shock, her heart started beating for only a few seconds before she flat-lined again. "Shit! Storm, give me sixty-five!"

Once again, the electric current was sent through the girl's chest, causing her unconscious body to lift up off of the operating table; once again, her heart fluttered but refused to keep beating. Everyone in the operating room was dead silent; the incessant ringing of the electrocardiograph was the only sound that came from any of the seven people in the room.

Rogue, Kurt, Kitty, Jubilee, Ororo, Logan, and Scott were all standing in the room.

Kitty had terrified tears in her eyes as she clutched Jubilee's shaking hand and watched with a pale face as they tried to save Lyra; Rogue merely kept her eyes squeezed shut and prayed in silence, mouth tight and shoulders shaking as she stood beside her two friends. Logan was still thrashing around in an attempt to get free, but the man looked absolutely stricken with terror. He wasn't the normal fearless badass that everyone was used to seeing. He was absolutely terrified, but it wasn't a normal kind of fear.

No... this was the kind of terror that a man would only feel if his child were about to die in front of him.

"LYRA!" Logan screamed, face turning red as he started panicking. "Come on, kid! Open your eyes!"

Kurt merely stood in the corner and watched with a detached expression as the love of his life lay on the table: his blue skin glistened with sweat under the fluorescent lighting as Hank placed the defibrillator paddles on Lyra's chest in the hopes of restarting her heart. He felt as though he were trapped in a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from.

"Give me eighty volts!" Hank cried, looking at the white-haired woman with frightened eyes. "Hurry!"

Storm quickly did as she was instructed and charged the defibrillator to his specifications; Hank made sure the paddles were positioned perfectly before briefly glancing skyward and sending up a silent prayer. Everyone in the room had different reactions to his expression of helplessness: Kitty buried her face in Jubilee's shirt, Rogue sank down to the floor and covered her ears with both hands, Logan's eyes went blank and he froze, Storm closed her eyes and lowered her head, and Kurt merely stared.

Everyone was silently praying that Lyra would survive.

"Clear!" the bestial man shouted, swallowing hard as he let the charge loose. Lyra's body practically jumped off the table in response to the defibrillation: Hank had given her the maximum voltage in the hopes that her heart would start beating once again. The people in the operating room stood still, praying for the girl to pull through.

A shrill ringing filled the air.

"Come on, kid!" Hank pleaded softly, staring at the girl with large eyes. "You can do it!"

The electrocardiograph machine continued to drone on, displaying a flat line.

With tears in his eyes and a sick feeling in his heart, Hank slowly covered his face with both of his enormous hands and sighed. Just as he was about to turn away from the girl, the ringing stopped and a faint blip echoed across the electrocardiograph. It started off quietly and sporadically, but the heartbeat slowly grew stronger and more regular.

Cheers of joy immediately filled the Operating Room, and everyone began hugging one another in jubilation. Logan immediately sank down to his knees, muscles going limp as his eyes stung: he immediately grit his teeth and fought like a champion not to cry, especially in front of Scott the Dickhead, but he couldn't help it and a few tears slipped through. The man let out a growl and wiped his eyes before staring at Lyra's face with an expression of relief. He honestly looked as though he were going to pass out.

It had been four hours since they'd removed the bullet from Lyra's chest, but while Hank had been in the process of stitching up her skin, her heart rate had begun to plummet without warning and she'd flat-lined even though her injuries had already gotten out of the danger zone. Hank slowly stepped out of the Operating Room and burst into tears, knowing that he had just performed the most important surgery of his career to the best of his ability. He looked at the ceiling with tears still streaming down his face.

Then he closed his eyes with a shaky sigh of intense relief.

"Thanks for helping me save her…" the Beast whispered, lowering his head before composing himself and walking back inside the room. The sight that met his eyes was heartwarming: Kitty was crying her eyes out in relief, Jubilee was on the floor with an exhausted expression in her slanted brown eyes, and Rogue was clinging to Lyra's hand with both of hers. Logan had his arms wrapped around the girl's body in a gentle hug, and Kurt was holding her other hand with a vacant expression on his face.

Storm's eyebrows furrowed in concern when the demon slowly swayed, eyelids fluttering wildly before his eyes rolled and he collapsed on the floor without making a sound. Everyone immediately rushed to his aid with cries of alarm, but Logan merely let out a laugh when he realized that the boy had fainted from the relief coursing through his body.

That night, everyone slept in the operating room.

**TXXXXXT**

Two weeks later a particularly rainy afternoon, the Mansion was beyond quiet: Rogue and Logan were in their Dormitory's common room playing video games, Jubilee was reading a book in the kitchen, Kitty, Bobby, and Scott were shut in their own respective dorm rooms, and Lyra had been moved to her bedroom: she was still unconscious after everything that had happened to her.

Yet, at the same time, she was healing nicely.

Kurt, on the other hand, was sitting in his bed with his tail wrapped around his body: he was staring at the Rosary clock that Lyra had given him for Christmas with blank eyes, not really seeing what was in front of him. He still couldn't fathom everything that had happened to Lyra, and he was hit with an unexpected feeling of despair when he thought of her lying cold and still. He abruptly let out a snuffling sigh and flopped on his back, shoulders shaking violently as he stared up at the ceiling. This increasingly-familiar ache sometimes shook his heart up so badly that he had trouble not bursting into tears, even though he didn't know why.

He didn't understand why he felt so sick whenever he thought about losing her.

Did it have to do with being a demon?

Kurt wondered about that for a few minutes before he sighed, figuring he should probably talk to the professor about his questions. The man was so intelligent that he'd probably be able to give an immediate answer, and if not, then one would be on the way within a few hours or less. After a few moments of feeling depressed, the boy slowly buried himself under his covers and started trembling when the rain slowly began to pelt at his large bedroom window. Somehow, during the period where he was curled up and telling himself that Lyra would be okay, the boy fell asleep... and he was only aware of this fact because he was suddenly dreaming.

Or... more accurately… he was suddenly trapped in a nightmare.

_Kurt's eyes jolted open wide and he blinked rapidly in dazed confusion when saw that his bedroom had completely vanished. Instead of lying down on his bed, he was standing upright in a very strange room full of eerie-looking artifacts and creepy decorations. In front of him was a flickering wall, and behind him was the sound of a disturbingly haunting monotonous chant. _

_The demon swallowed hard when he realized that everything around him was flickering._

_"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" someone monotonously chanted from behind him; Kurt swallowed again before hesitantly turning around and facing the person with a wary expression, lifting his arms and holding them in a defensive posture. However, he blinked in surprise when he saw an extremely pale girl with jet black hair hovering above a foot above her bed… along with a clock._

_"Um… vhere am I?" Kurt called, blinking when the image before him distorted; he immediately frowned and teleported in front of the girl before waving his arms in front of her. She didn't even seem to be aware of his presence… but after a moment of breathing in the blue smoke swirling around her head, the girl coughed in the middle of her chant. Then she coughed again._

_And when her violet eyes snapped opened, she clutched her throat with a gasp and the room that she and Kurt were sitting in was swept up in a roaring fire. The demon jumped when the flames appeared, and he immediately leapt onto the ceiling only to have it collapse a moment later._

_"You cannot escape your fate, Little Gem," a disembodied voice snarled; Kurt and the girl watched with large eyes as a burning symbol traced itself out across the floor. When it was completed, the girl's eyes widened and she let out a scream of terror._

_"NO!" the teenager shrieked, closing her eyes with a gasp; Kurt flinched when the vision dissolved with a flash of light, and suddenly he was standing somewhere else. Four teenagers were standing beside that same dark-haired girl as she rose into the air with her white cape billowing around behind her body: in front of her was a demon that made Kurt's jaw drop._

_It was huge… taller than the highest building in the world._

_And she was fighting it._

_When the demon was vanquished, the world around Kurt went dark and voices filled his head._

_"Raven, no!" a male voice shouted._

_"Raven!" a female voice shrieked, sounding to be on the verge of tears._

_"I never dreamed I'd have friends like you," a girl's voice whispered, "but I can't escape my fate."_

_The moment those words rang into the air, Lyra slowly walked out of the darkness towards him with her wings folded tightly and her long white hair billowing around her like a cloud. She walked with a lowered head and limp shoulders, seeming to have no energy in her body at all. _

_"Lyra…?" he asked, eyes widening in surprise. "Lyra, you are alvight now!"_

_"Kurt," Lyra whispered, stopping a few feet away and stretching out her hand. "I love you." _

_Just like that, the demon bolted forward and swept his love into his arms._

"_I love you, too," the demon whispered into her ear, pulling away to look at her face; the way her large eyes sparkled whenever she looked at him always made his breath catch. She was so beautiful that he could hardly believe that she was his. "Don't be zad anymore… please…" _

_"I never would have thought someone like you could love a monster like me," Lyra whispered, smiling even as her expression broke and tears started streaming down her cheeks, "but Kurt… if I can't find a way to escape my fate… everyone I love is going to die because of me. Help me!"_

_"V-vhat?" Kurt squeaked, pulling away from the girl with a startled expression. "L… Lyra?"_

_"Help me…" the girl whimpered, stepping away from him and closing her eyes. "Help me…"_

_After slowly folding her beautiful hands together as though she were in prayer, the ground around her body erupted with shafts of bright red light and she slowly began to dissolve: she was soon engulfed from the feet up, wings spreading wide as she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled at him one last time before her face contorted and his angel was suddenly gone forever. _

_Ten seconds later, a monstrous portal opened up and the world caught fire._

_"Save me…" Lyra's voice whispered as a huge storm of meteors began to rain from the sky. "Please... save me, Kurt!"_

_"How?!" Kurt cried, whirling around as the flaming asteroids slammed into the world. _

_"Please!" Lyra sobbed, voice fading away as the image started dissolving. "You have to—"_

_—_a deafening crack of thunder and a blinding flash jolted him awake; just like that, Kurt's eyes snapped open and he clamped up.

"_NIEN_!" the boy screamed, bolting upright and clutching at his hair with a heaving chest. After a moment of panting heavily and futilely attempting to calm his racing heart, the blue-skinned boy swallowed hard and shuddered violently due to the nausea in his stomach. After a moment, Kurt pictured Storm's room and teleported himself into it without permission.

The white-haired woman was wearing a nightgown and her long hair had been brushed out. She had been in the middle of reading a romance novel when he suddenly popped in, and she jumped with a gasp of surprise before blinking at him in alarm. When he merely walked over to the corner and sat down with his arms around his body, she frowned and set her book down.

"Are you okay?" the woman hesitantly inquired. "You look… kind of pale, even for you."

"Nien…" the boy croaked, body shaking violently. "I am not alvight at all… I feel like my heart has been vipped out of my chest."

"Honey…" the woman whispered, covering her mouth in surprise when Kurt actually buried his head in his knees and started crying; she immediately got up from the bed and hurried over before sitting down on the floor and wrapping her arms around him. When he leaned into her touch, she rocked him back and forth with a soothing expression on her face. "Shhh… come on, don't cry… it wasn't your fault that this happened. Lyra did what she did out of love for you, and there was nothing you could to to stop this."

"But I am having nightmares, and zhey are scaring me!" the demon sobbed, shaking so violently that the woman bit her lip and tenderly rubbed his back. "I am dreaming about a girl who fights a demon, but zhen zhat demon vants Lyra!"

"It's only a recurring nightmare," Storm soothed, swallowing the lump in her throat when Kurt continued crying; his tail slowly wrapped around her back and he buried his face in her nightgown with shaking shoulders, making the woman realize that he was absolutely terrified. This was the first time Ororo had ever seen Kurt reduced to tears, let alone stricken with such a large amount of terror on top of it: he was normally so outgoing, cheerful, and energetic that the woman believed he could light up an entire room just by popping into it. The fact that he had broken down like this over a simple dream was really shaking her up.

She didn't like it at all.

"I feel as zhough I am going insane," Kurt sniffled, slowly pulling away and rubbing his eyes as he hiccupped. "Am I crazy?"

"No! Kurt, you're _not_ going insane, and Lyra is going to be fine," Ororo stated firmly, clutching his cheeks with both hands and giving him a reprimanding stare. "Just because the two of you in love, it doesn't mean you have the right to delude yourself like this."

"I can't help it…" Kurt whimpered, looking at Storm with watering eyes. "I… zhink I need a hug…"

"Well, my arms are always open just for that very reason, Kurt," the white-haired woman murmured, opening her arms with a soft expression on her face. Closing his eyes, the boy accepted her hug and sniffled as she slowly rocked him back and forth. Her soft, motherly murmurings that everything would be okay lulled him back to sleep, and Storm let out a sigh when he finally zonked out. After wiping the tears off his cheeks with her sleeve, the woman lifted him up and carried him over to her bed. Grabbing her novel with dainty fingers, the woman tucked him in with somber eyes and turned off the lamp before retiring to her reclining chair. She sat there and watched over him for the rest of the night, ensuring that he had no more nightmares about losing Lyralianna.

Even when the sun rose, the woman stayed up and watched him.

In truth, the urge to cry because of what she'd seen the previous evening stuck with her all night long, but when Kurt finally stirred and sleepily sat up she put on her best smile for his sake. She slowly stood up and stretched, giggling when he let out a catlike yawn and an abrupt sneeze. Sometimes the way he acted was more like a kitten than a demon, but it made him very endearing.

"Good morning," Ororo murmured, walking over and sitting on the bed beside him. "Are you feeling better today?"

"Ja, but how is she?" Kurt croaked, looking at her with worried eyes. "Is zhere any change? Is she avake yet?"

Storm looked at him for a moment with an indecisive expression before she sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Kurt's muscles sagged in exhaustion when he realized that Lyra was probably still out of it, and he didn't even notice when the woman rubbed his back in a soothing manner. Ororo sighed in motherly dismay when his long ears slowly began to droop in sorrow.

"That bullet nearly killed her, Kurt, but she was out of danger five days ago," the mutant woman murmured. "Have faith in her: Lyra's condition has improved so much over the last week that she probably has some sort of healing ability. She should be fine."

"Vhy vould she do it?" Kurt whispered, rubbing his eyes. "Vhy vould she take a bullet for someone like me?"

"Because that's how much she really loves you," Storm promptly replied, pulling away from him and tapping his nose. "I know you care about her, but you need to remember that she isn't human. Just because _we_ have mutations, it doesn't mean we have different instincts than regular people; you and Lyra, on the other hand, are two completely different species of _Homo Sapien_. She's almost exactly like you, Kurt: your feelings for each other are much more powerful than any human could ever hope to imagine."

Storm watched with relieved brown eyes as Kurt let out a sigh of relief and leaned against her shoulder with a tired expression. In all honesty, the woman was glad that he had finally found someone to love: he had always been a cheerful guy and almost everyone liked him, but at the same time… there had been a wall between him and humanity for a very long time.

That wall had prevented people from _loving_ him until Lyra had come along.

He was, after all, a creature that people feared since demons were thought to be extremely evil.

The fact that the one who'd fallen for him had been an angel was kind of ironic: Kurt was the total opposite of Lyralianna in every shape and form. He was energetic and outgoing, but she was withdrawn and slightly antisocial; he grinned and laughed at the world, but she looked out of windows with an enchanting amount of sorrow in her eyes; he was a demon who was terrified of letting himself fall into darkness, and she was an angel who was fighting terribly to find a light in order to escape from the shadows.

The two of them were perfect for each other, and that's why their bond had become so strong.

The Professor had told Storm that Kurt had developed the ability to absorb Lyra's powers a few months back, but the mutant woman had been completely stunned when the reality of the two teenagers balancing each other's powers out had been brought to her attention. The woman had somehow known that the two of them were meant for each other from the very first day.

"She put up quite a fight for you," Ororo murmured, slowly standing up. "She even regained control of her powers for a minute: it was the first time I've ever seen her drag them down."

"Ja, she veally did," Kurt mumbled, cracking his back with a wince. "It vas… impressive, and it made me proud of her. She has been trying do zat for many long years… but I have a feeling zat she vill push herself too much vhen she finally vakes up again."

Kurt's mind slowly went back to the night she had almost died and he shivered. She had been releasing so much power at the other demon's command… that it had frightened everyone present, because it had proved to them that she could be a deadly enemy in the long run. The electricity ripping from her body had shorted out the entire city of Houstan, as _well_ as other surrounding towns for miles around; on top of that, the girl's connection with the weather had unintentionally caused a series of twisters to start wreaking havoc across Texas for the last five days. It was honestly getting to the point where the professor wanted to send Ororo to stop it.

However, when Kurt had seen Lyra's full power, he had felt his heart stop for a single moment in time.

Her entire body had been suffused in a brilliant golden glow, and her eyes had been shining with an ethereal blue light. Her green school uniform had had been swirling beautifully around her slender form, and the way her outstretched wings had caught the light made her look more like a God than an angel. Lyralianna was so powerful that nobody knew how to keep her safe from herself.

"Am I ztrong enough to protect her?" Kurt asked, looking at Storm with forlorn eyes. "Do you zhink I can keep her safe?"

"I definitely think you are, and yes... you can," the woman murmured, smiling gently. "So go visit your girlfriend already."

With a smile of relief, the boy wiped his eyes and hesitantly did just that.


End file.
